Money, the big winner of the 2026 FIFA World Cup

Beyond Spain’s final victory over Argentina, the financial outcome of the 2026 World Cup—co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada—establishes FIFA as the tournament’s true economic winner.

With staggering revenue peaking at at least $11 billion over the four-year cycle, world football’s governing body has seen spectacular financial growth, far surpassing the figures from previous editions held in Qatar in 2022 ($7.5 billion) and Russia in 2018 ($6.4 billion).

This financial surge is driven by broad-based growth across all commercial streams—from broadcasting rights and sponsorship deals to marketing and licensing—yet it raises serious questions regarding the governance of this non-profit organization.

Benefiting from a formidable business model in which host nations fund all infrastructure, security, and transport costs—while granting FIFA full tax exemptions on ticket sales and VIP hospitality—the organization has also monetized the competition through controversial innovations. These include the introduction of dynamic pricing, which sent ticket costs soaring, and the transformation of on-field « cooling breaks » into prime advertising slots for sponsors.