Business1 min read

Billions in revenue proves Fifa right on the World Cup – but only on things it cares about

By · Via The Guardian Business · Published by Everything Blog

In short

Soccer's global governing body secured unprecedented commercial returns across North America by capitalizing on dynamic ticket pricing and expanded schedules. These staggering windfalls largely insulate the organization's leadership from intense blowback over disruptive geopolitical disputes and contentious tournament format adjustments. The resulting financial influx also ensures sustained political backing from member associations ahead of the upcoming presidential vote. Specifically, average matchday revenue soared to roughly $48 million per game, more than triple the $14.5 million average achieved during the 2022 Qatar tournament.

Key points

  • Record-shattering commercial receipts have insulated Fifa leadership from criticism regar…: Record-shattering commercial receipts have insulated Fifa leadership from criticism regarding controversial administrative decisions and political frictions.
  • President Gianni Infantino has secured vital leverage among 211 voting member association…: President Gianni Infantino has secured vital leverage among 211 voting member associations by delivering significantly larger financial payouts.
  • Aggressive commercialization through dynamic ticket pricing and secondary market control…: Aggressive commercialization through dynamic ticket pricing and secondary market control proved highly lucrative despite spectator pushback over tournament rule breaches.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

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 – $5bn – came from ticket sales and hospitality alone, per reporting from the Times.

That would mean direct income from the matchgoing fans came in five times as high in the United States, Canada and Mexico as it did at the last World Cup, in Qatar in 2022, when the total stood at $929m. While 2026’s expanded World Cup added 40 games to the schedule, the takings nevertheless went from an average of about $14.5m per match to about $48m.

Which is to say that Fifa, and by extension its all-controlling president Gianni Infantino, was right.

Wrong, mind you, about what it believes anybody with a modicum of taste would think is cool and enjoyable. Like putting Robbie Williams in everything; or cramming Madonna, and BTS, and Shakira, and Justin Bieber, and…

Business