The 2026 World Cup, anticipated to be one of the largest sporting events held in North America, is just months away. An estimated 5 million soccer fans will travel from across the globe to watch the world’s game take place on the largest stage.

This year, the World Cup will feature 48 teams, which is a shift from 32 teams (1998-2022); however, it provides a larger product for fans watching inside and outside the stadiums, but that benefit comes at the cost of increased emissions. 

According to Scientists for Global Responsibility, the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup is estimated to generate 9 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, becoming the largest emitting World Cup in history. It represents a 92% increase from the average emission rate of World Cups from 2010 to 2022.

SGR also added that this number is equivalent to almost six–and-a-half million cars driven in a year. 

Air travel will be the largest culprit. It is estimated to emit 7.72 million TCO2e. That’s 85% of the total emission estimates. However, without the need to construct new stadiums, as North America has plenty in place because of a strong sporting culture, construction emissions are relatively limited.

Unlike countries in Europe and Asia, the United States doesn’t have a strong transportation system. The nation lacks a strong rail system that can easily connect host cities. Fans who will follow their team across the North American Continent will have to travel long distances from city to city using a variety of means of transportation.

As for the transportation distances, fans of various teams will travel exorbitant distances just to follow their team. In 2026 FIFA World Cup Factsheet – FIFA’s Polluting Choices Worsen Climate Risks, created by Frank Husingh. According to Fossil Free Football, Husingh estimates distances that the potential winner of the Union of European Football Associations Playoff A group (teams that have not directly qualified for the World Cup quite yet, which include Italy, Wales, Bosnia, and Northern Ireland) would be forced to travel. 

 Hunsingh writes that teams will “start in Toronto before flying 3500km (2,175 miles) to Los Angeles, and then another 1500km (932 miles) to Seattle. During the knockout stage, they may fly another 4000km (248) to Boston, and so on.” 

Some fans will be able to afford airfare, but many will be forced to rent cars if they meet certain requirements, such as valid auto insurance and credit cards. Regardless, carbon dioxide emissions will uptick as a result of these long-distance travels.

​Making matters more interesting is FIFA’s hypocrisy regarding its climate strategy pledges. 

According to FIFA’s Climate strategy, their first two pillars are: “Educate the global football workforce on climate-related impacts and climate-friendly solutions” and “Adapt football regulations and activities to be more resilient to current and anticipated impacts of climate change.” This demonstrates a desire to educate their employees on how football activities affect the climate and how they can help provide an environment that is “climate-friendly.”

FIFA’s other two pillars are to “Reduce the carbon emissions of FIFA and football to contribute to the Paris Agreement and the UNFCCC Sports for Climate Action Framework objectives” and “Invest in climate protection and support football stakeholders with access to know-how to tackle the impacts of climate change. FIFA clearly desires to align with modern-day climate advocacy groups, which they intend to do so by investing in measures and technologies to reduce carbon emissions. 

However, these pillars are inconsistent and disingenuous with their recent selections for host countries, Saudi Arabia and the United States. Saudi Arabia’s selection for the 2034 World Cup appears to be a “wink, wink” deal as Aramco, a Saudi state oil company, is a major FIFA sponsor and is projected to produce at least 30 million tons of C02e in 2026. 

The North American selection is not nearly as ghastly, but with the information discussed previously, it still doesn’t align with FIFA’s climate strategy pillars. Additionally, the U.S. withdrew from the Paris Agreement in January 2026, which FIFA references in their Pillars. 

Regardless of the CO2 emissions and hypocrisy of FIFA, it will still be a once-in-a-lifetime experience to watch the World Cup in the U.S. The passion that spectators from around the world show makes the competition unique and unlike any other event. 

However, it is still important to keep in mind the costs of hosting such an important sporting event. We must keep pressuring FIFA and other competitions into actually acting on their so-called “Climate Strategy Pillars,” rather than giving them a pass this time around.