Billions in revenue proves Fifa right on the World Cup – but only on things it cares about
The 2026 edition of the tournament brought in untold amounts of money to Gianni Infantino’s governing body The total hasn’t entirely stopped rising yet, still clicking away towards a final tally. Still, Fifa has already announced that it surpassed its own lofty revenue projections for the 2026 World Cup, bringing in $15bn, significantly more than anticipated. It appears that a third of that total…
The 2026 World Cup generated an astounding $15 billion in revenue, exceeding all projections and proving that Gianni Infantino's governing body, FIFA, knew exactly what they were doing. Ticket sales and hospitality alone accounted for a staggering $5 billion of that total, five times the income from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The expanded tournament spanned 40 additional matches, with earnings per game soaring from an average of $14.5 million to $48 million.
This revenue boom demonstrates that FIFA was spot on when focusing on aspects that generate money, like dynamic pricing for tickets and expanding the secondary ticket market. Despite controversies surrounding issues such as mandatory hydration breaks, suspending red cards, and the half-time show, the focus remained on the financial gains.
Infantino's controversial decision to sell a portion of the World Cup's commercial rights to private equity may have cost him political capital, but the tournament's unprecedented attendance of 6.8 million attendees ensured that FIFA's 211 member associations received a record number of votes in the upcoming presidential election.
Ultimately, FIFA's success in generating massive revenue has solidified its power, and the organization will continue to prioritize financial gains over any moral or ethical considerations.
Written by urgent.news from The Guardian US's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
