The 2026 FIFA World Cup could become the most polluting tournament in football history, with a new report projecting almost double the emissions of recent editions as teams and supporters travel across North America.
The tournament stretches across 16 cities in the United States, Canada and Mexico, with matches spread across four time zones. FIFA also expanded the competition from 32 teams to 48, creating more fixtures and increasing travel demands for teams and supporters.
A report from Scientists for Global Responsibility (SGR) estimates the tournament will generate at least nine million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions. That figure sits 92 per cent above the average 4.7 million tonnes recorded across the previous four World Cups between 2010 and 2022.
The report points to air travel as the main source of emissions. It estimates flights alone will account for 7.7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, more than four times the air transport emissions from World Cups staged between 2010 and 2022.
The structure of the competition drives much of that increase. FIFA spread the tournament across an entire continent and increased the number of participating nations. Fans now face journeys that stretch across thousands of kilometres between venues.
FIFA expects more than five million supporters to attend the tournament. The movement of supporters between host cities will create one of the largest travel operations football has seen.
The report highlights England supporters as one example. A fan travelling from London and following England through to the final could cover roughly 24,000 kilometres. That journey would produce around 3.4 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions per person.
Even group-stage travel creates significant movement. England supporters could travel an additional 2,830 kilometres between host cities before including return flights from Britain.
The tournament will deliver football across three countries and dozens of venues. The report argues that scale now carries an environmental cost that previous World Cups never faced.
