The financial winners and losers from the World Cup
BBC News 2026-07-17 09:40:17
Context: The 2026 World Cup, being held in the US, Canada, and Mexico, has expanded to include 48 teams, generating billions of dollars in revenue. FIFA, the governing body of world football, is expected to reap significant financial benefits from the tournament, with projected revenues of over $13bn in the four-year cycle leading up to the event. However, not all stakeholders are profiting equally, with fans facing high costs for tickets, flights, and accommodations.
Key Facts
- FIFA generated a record $7.6bn in revenue from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and is expected to exceed that amount in 2026, with senior strategist Marion Laboure stating that the governing body's revenues over the four-year cycle period are approaching $13bn.
- The 2026 World Cup features an expanded 48-team tournament, with FIFA considering further expansion to 64 teams, which could include countries like China and India, and potentially billions more viewers.
- Ticket prices for the 2026 World Cup have been criticized for being high, with tickets for the final at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium officially offered at $32,970, while some resale tickets have been listed for over $2m.
- Broadcasters, such as Fox Sports, which reportedly paid $485m for US broadcast rights, are likely to make significant profits from advertising slots during the tournament, with average 30-second World Cup advertising slots costing between $200,000 and $300,000.
- Despite estimated economic benefits of $17bn to the US economy and 185,000 jobs created, experts like Alexander Budzier argue that the long-term economic benefits of hosting the World Cup are minimal, with host cities often seeing a drop in visitors and only a short-term spike in hiring for lower-paid jobs in hospitality.