At a time when sustainability and sobriety are being elevated to core values of sporting events, the 2026 FIFA World Cup will undoubtedly stand out. But not for the right reasons. FIFA is touting this edition as the most inclusive ever. Gone is the 32-team format, replaced by a 48-nation formula. Africa is among the major beneficiaries, as it will be able to double its number of representatives (five so far). All continents will gain seats at the World Cup table, which will automatically increase the number of matches: 104, compared to 64 in 2022. An inclusive and lucrative reform, but one that will claim one major victim: the environment.
More than 9 million tons of CO2
The Scientists for Global Responsibility (SGR) group has scrutinized the tournament and states bluntly that this World Cup is becoming " the most harmful to the environment in history ». The study, carried out in collaboration with the Environmental Defense Fund and the Sport for Climate Action network,, points out that the amount of greenhouse gases emitted during the competition will almost double compared to previous editions. The increased number of matches and the large area to be covered – the tournament will take place between the United States, Canada and Mexico – will inevitably be accompanied by a large number of flights. Air transport will be responsible for 7,72 million tonnes of CO2, or 86% of the total and four times more than for a World Cup held between 2010 and 2022.
Scientists expect this World Cup to produce as much CO2 as 6,5 million British cars on the road for an entire year. With an estimated 9,02 million tonnes of CO2, the tournament would outrageously exceed Qatar's 5,25 million tonnes in 2022. If we take into account emissions from FIFA sponsorship contracts, the total climate impact of future World Cups increases considerably., says the report. FIFA recently entered into a commercial partnership with Aramco, the Saudi Arabian state-owned oil company, which is the largest oil company in the world in terms of historical and current emissions. The emissions induced by this sponsorship agreement are estimated at approximately 29,95 million tonnes of CO2. »
FIFA's 'growing role' in the climate crisis
The authors, who also warn of the risk of extreme heat for players and fans, call on FIFA to end commercial partnerships with highly polluting companies, limit the number of teams involved, establish binding environmental standards and introduce new measures to reduce risks and exposure to climate impacts.
« FIFA must take responsibility for its growing role in the climate crisis, says Stuart Parkinson, lead author of the report. The 2026 World Cup is expected to be the most polluting ever, and future tournaments are expected to continue to rely heavily on air travel and other carbon-intensive activities. As the climate crisis rapidly worsens, the only sensible response is for FIFA to take immediate action to significantly reduce tournament emissions. »
FIFA has pledged to reduce its emissions by 50% by 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions by 2040, but many of its decisions fall short of this goal. And we shouldn't wait for change to come from the United States either, as Donald Trump has never hidden his climate-sceptic leanings.
