GENEVA: Environmental experts have warned that the 2026 FIFA World Cup could become the most-polluting sporting event ever staged, with carbon emissions expected to far exceed previous international tournaments.
The tournament, which will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, will feature 48 teams for the first time and span 16 cities across North America.
Researchers at the University of Lausanne (Unil) estimate the event could generate between five and nine million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions — significantly higher than the estimated 1.75 million tonnes linked to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“Unlike the case of the Olympic Games, where the carbon footprints have been reducing over the last several editions, this is totally opposite in the case of FIFA men’s World Cup,” David Gogishvili, a geographer at Unil, told AFP.
The projected emissions would also exceed those produced by previous World Cups, including Russia 2018, which generated an estimated 2.17 million tonnes of CO2, and Qatar 2022, which was linked to approximately 3.17 million tonnes.
Vast distances drive emissions
Although organisers have pointed out that all 16 stadiums selected for the tournament already existed before the hosting rights were awarded, experts say the scale and geography of the event remain major concerns.
The distance between some host cities is vast, with more than 4,500 kilometres separating Miami and Vancouver.
Environmental researchers say air travel by teams, officials, journalists and millions of supporters will account for the largest share of emissions.
FIFA expects more than five million fans to attend the tournament.
Some participating teams will also face extensive travel during the group stage. Bosnia and Herzegovina, for example, is set to travel more than 5,000 kilometres between matches in Toronto, Los Angeles and Seattle.
According to a 2025 report by the New Weather Institute think-tank, the climate impact of international football matches is significantly greater than domestic fixtures.
The report, produced by Scientists for Global Responsibility, estimated that a single World Cup knockout-stage match could generate between 44,000 and 72,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions.
Researchers said that amount would equal the yearly emissions produced by between 31,500 and 51,500 cars in Britain.
Criticism of FIFA expansion plans
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has repeatedly pledged to reduce the environmental impact of the organisation’s tournaments and said FIFA aims to “measure, reduce and offset” emissions linked to World Cups.
However, FIFA faced criticism in 2023 after the Swiss Fairness Commission ruled that claims surrounding the “climate neutrality” of the 2022 Qatar World Cup were misleading.
Environmental analysts argue that reducing the scale of global sporting events remains the most effective way to limit emissions.
Instead, FIFA has expanded its flagship competitions, increasing the men’s World Cup from 32 to 48 teams and enlarging the Club World Cup from seven teams to 32.
Gogishvili said FIFA’s “insatiable appetite for growth” was driving a cycle of increasing emissions through more matches, flights, hotels and infrastructure.
Concerns over future tournaments
Environmental concerns are also growing over FIFA’s future tournaments.
The 2030 World Cup will be staged across six countries and three continents, beginning with matches in Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay before moving to Morocco, Spain and Portugal.
Gilles Pache, a professor at Aix-Marseille University, wrote in the Journal of Management Research that “FIFA’s environmental denial will continue” unless the governing body changes course on expansion and commercial growth.
