Greening history’s most polluting tournament is the goal
Consider the mind-boggling numbers. Three nations, 16 cities,104 matches, 6.5 million spectators and millions more along for the party, with over 150 million ticket requests said to have been made globally. This will be the biggest, but more significantly for a healthy planet, the most sprawling FIFA World Cup competition ever—held from June 11 to July 19—with an expected 1.5 million international visitors to the United States alone. Those crossing borders for the contests to three cities in Mexico are predicted to reach 5.5 million, and yet another million or more will be heading to two cities in our northern neighbor. A projected 2 million are expected for a FIFA Fan Festival in Canada alone.
That’s why this massive sporting spectacle is being called “the most climate-damaging” in the tournament’s history by Scientists for Global Responsibility, which predicts it will generate more than 9 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e). That’s almost twice the average of the last four World Cup finals. The last one, Qatar 2022, had an estimated footprint of 5.25 tons.
To make matters worse, most fans will fly into game cities, hardly a green choice but, unlike elsewhere, North America lacks better options like high-speed rail.
And yet, in the face of this giant environmental footprint, there is opportunity.
Pledgeball, a U.K.-based climate change group, and Mastercard surveyed more than 1,600 soccer fans at last year’s Champions League final—and eight in 10 said they worry about the climate crisis; even more said they wanted their clubs to do more to combat it.
FIFA itself has set a goal in its tournaments and own operations of a 50% reduction in emissions by 2030 and net-zero by 2040. It claimed carbon neutrality for its 2022 World Cup—though this was criticized as misleading. FIFA’s eco-cred has also been questioned for welcoming sponsorship for this year’s games from Saudi Aramco, the Arabian state-owned oil company.
“Carbon emissions are predicted to be almost twice the average of the last four World Cup finals.”
FIFA says it has implemented strategies “to be aware of its impact and take adequate action.” It also “hopes” the 2026 World Cup will “establish new standards for environmental sustainability in sport and deliver measurable environmental benefits,” according to a BBC report.
Big Green in the Big D
There are promising portents. For example, Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas, which will host nine matches, more than any other city, is working to achieve LEED certification, will have electric buses, shuttle services and partnerships with local public transit, and pledges to focus on recycling, composting and reducing food waste and single-use plastics, as well as work closely with local communities to promote environmental awareness, sustainability education and long-term community benefits. The stated goal: “to leave a positive legacy for Dallas, including improvements in public infrastructure, sustainable tourism practices and community-focused environmental projects.”
Hopefully, fans visiting the host cities for games—in this country, Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City (Missouri), Los Angeles, Miami, New York (the big final match is at MetLife Stadium in nearby East Rutherford, New Jersey), Philadelphia, San Francisco (at Levi Stadium in Santa Clara) and Seattle; in Mexico, Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey; and in Canada, Vancouver and Toronto—will prioritize eco-certified hotels and resorts.
Meeting profs can certainly do the same, at game time and beyond. As well as being particularly mindful of the meetings-sphere’s own comprehensive suite of sustainability best practices.
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This article appears in the March 2026 issue. You can subscribe to the magazine here.
