The World Cup of records: an 11.5 billion-pound FIFA-branded machine
The opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup between Mexico and South Africa takes place today in Mexico City
Tonight, at 9 pm Italian time, at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, the home side and South Africa will kick off the 2026 World Cup. It will be the first edition organised by three countries – Mexico, the United States, where two-thirds of the matches will be played, and Canada – and, above all, the first to feature an expanded field of 48 national teams (in Qatar in 2022, only 32 teams were allowed). The competition will run over 39 days, with the final scheduled to take place at MetLife Stadium in New York on 19 July.
The FIFA World Cup, which Gianni Infantino has unhesitatingly described as ‘the greatest event humanity has ever seen’, is set to become, above all, the biggest money-spinner in the history of global sport. The four-year cycle culminating this summer will bring in around $14 billion for FIFA, of which approximately $11.5 billion relates to the 2026 World Cup (the other major FIFA events, the 2025 Club World Cup and the 2023 Women’s World Cup, have generated 2 billion and just under 600 million respectively).
FIFA had in fact already achieved record revenue of $7.5 billion for the 2019–2022 cycle (an 18% increase on the $6.4 billion recorded for the 2015–2018 period), thanks to the World Cup in Qatar, which generated the highest revenue in the history of a World Cup tournament at $6.3 billion. Around $930 million was generated through ticket sales ($666 million) and hospitality rights ($243 million), $3.4 billion from TV rights, and around $2 billion from commercial rights (sponsorship and licensing).
From this edition onwards, however, the economic governance of the World Cup has changed. Following the interim arrangement in Qatar, FIFA has, for the first time, managed all revenue streams independently (only for hospitality did it rely on On Location, which also handled this for the Milan-Cortina Games). Full financial independence, combined with a favourable geographical location offering more attractive time slots for Europe and North America, and the expansion of the tournament – with the number of matches rising from 64 to 104 – has enabled FIFA’s Chief Business Officer, Romy Gai, to maximise the event’s potential.
Starting with TV and media rights, which remain the primary source of revenue, with over 5 billion coming from deals with broadcasters and streaming platforms. FIFA has also begun to monetise new digital channels, selling rights for partial streaming on platforms such as YouTube and TikTok, in an effort to reach younger audiences.
