Fifa generated a record $7.6bn (£5.6bn) from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and is expected to top that in the 2026 tournament, which expands to 48 teams in the US, Canada and Mexico. The world football governing body’s revenues over the four-year cycle are approaching $13bn, according to Marion Laboure, senior strategist at Deutsche Bank Research. “Fifa is without question the main winner,” she said.
Fifa’s income streams include broadcasting, licensing and hospitality rights, sponsorship deals and ticket sales. The organisation has also moved into the secondary market with its official resale marketplace, taking a 15% fee from both buyer and seller. It is considering expanding the tournament further to 64 teams, potentially bringing in China and India and billions more viewers.
“Fifa generated a record $7.6bn from the 2022 World Cup and expects to top that in 2026, while fans struggle with high ticket prices.”
While Fifa banks astronomical sums, fans are being squeezed. The vast cost of tickets alone, combined with Fifa’s dynamic pricing strategy – which raises prices when demand is high – has drawn criticism. Even US President Donald Trump admitted he “wouldn’t pay” when asked about the potential $1,000 ticket price for his country’s tournament opener against Paraguay. Tickets for the final at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium were officially offered at $32,970, while some resale tickets have been listed for more than $2m. Fifa president Gianni Infantino defended the costs, arguing they were in line with other US sporting events.
Beyond tickets, fans have faced hikes on flights, food and accommodation. One widely reported example was New Jersey Transit train tickets: a 30-minute journey to the MetLife Stadium rose to $150 for the tournament from the usual $12.90 return fare. A backlash forced a price cut, but fares remained higher than normal.
Broadcasters, meanwhile, have had to shell out big sums to televise the tournament, but the viewing figures and sponsors’ demand for advertising slots mean they are also likely to make a killing. Fifa introduced hydration breaks during this World Cup – a move Infantino said was “purely a sporting matter” with no additional revenue for the governing body. With the tournament’s financial winners and losers becoming ever more stark, the question remains whether fans will continue to pay the price.
