According to RMC, citing research by Greenly, the 2026 FIFA World Cup is expected to be the most polluting in history.
Greenly, a global carbon accounting platform, has released a report stating that the carbon emissions of the 2026 FIFA World Cup will reach a new high, with 7.8 million tons of emissions far exceeding those of the 2022 Qatar FIFA World Cup. The stadiums for the Qatar FIFA World Cup were concentrated within a small area, while those for the 2026 event, co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada, will be spread far apart, further exacerbating emissions.
The report shows that 87% of the carbon footprint comes from fans traveling by air. Approximately 6 million tickets are expected to be sold for this FIFA World Cup, significantly higher than the 3.4 million sold for the Doha FIFA World Cup, due to larger stadium capacities and the expansion to 48 participating teams. Greenly notes that fan travel alone will generate 6.82 million tons of CO2 equivalent, roughly equal to the annual carbon footprint of 725,000 French people, or the population of Marseille. The study also shows that spectators from abroad account for 74% of travel-related emissions. The average round-trip distance for international spectators will reach 19,400 kilometers, higher than the 13,000 kilometers recorded for the Qatar FIFA World Cup. The report states that this difference in distance, multiplied by 2.1 million international visitors, is the main reason for the emissions gap between the two FIFA World Cups. In Qatar, the construction of seven new stadiums was the main source of carbon emissions, accounting for 24.6%; by 2026, this proportion will fall to 3.1%, as most stadiums already exist. The report also criticized FIFA. FIFA pledged in 2021 to reduce emissions by 50% by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2040, but did not set specific targets for the FIFA World Cup. In 2023, Swiss regulators deemed this commitment "unsubstantiated." Greenly concluded by proposing three recommendations for the FIFA World Cup: encourage more local spectators to attend, try to concentrate events more, and promote more alternative transportation methods for North American spectators. Alexis Normand, co-founder of Greenly, said in a statement: "Global events like the FIFA World Cup remind people that sports celebrations cannot ignore other planetary challenges. Instead, they can be powerful moments of warning, driving more people to recognize climate impacts and spurring investment in more sustainable infrastructure: electric transport, railways, low-carbon stadiums, and more organized spectator travel. Our research shows that nearly 90% of the estimated emissions for the 2026 FIFA World Cup come from spectator transportation. Therefore, the key lies here: concentrating events more in dense, well-connected areas, reducing travel distances, and truly integrating sustainability into hosting standards."