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- The World Cup's carbon challenge
- Reusing stadiums instead of building new ones
- The stadium leading the way on sustainability
- Houston's renewable electricity pledge
- The contradiction at the heart of FIFA's climate ambitions
- How fans can reduce their environmental impact
- Can the World Cup ever be sustainable?
- The 2026 World Cup emissions are equal to the annual emissions of 6.5 million UK cars
- The Mercedes-Benz stadium in Atlanta has 4,000 solar panels and is considered the most environmentally friendly stadium used in the World Cup
- FIFA has pledged to reduce emissions by 50% by 2030 and achieve net zero by 2040
The 2026 FIFA World Cup promises to be the biggest football tournament ever, but it could also be the most polluting sporting event in history.
This is despite solar-powered stadiums and promises from FIFA to cut the tournament’s carbon footprint.
This is because the World Cup is bigger than ever this year; 48 nations will compete across 104 matches hosted in 16 cities spanning the US, Canada and Mexico. Millions of supporters are expected to travel across North America, while billions will tune in around the world. What does that mean? In short, huge carbon emissions.
With issues such as a sponsorship deal from one of the world’s biggest oil producers, we think that the competition’s environmental credentials will likely, and rightly, face more scrutiny than any World Cup before it.
The World Cup’s carbon challenge
The 2026 World Cup is likely to be the most polluting of all time.
Researchers at Scientists for Global Responsibility (SGR) thinks the tournament could generate around nine million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e), making it the most carbon-intensive World Cup ever held.
That’s nearly double the average emissions associated with competitions held between 2010 and 2022, and roughly equivalent to the annual emissions of 6.5 million average UK cars.
Why will the World Cup produce so much carbon? The main reason is because there are more teams, more matches and significantly more travel. Fans, players, media and officials will be spread across three countries and thousands of miles, making aviation one of the tournament’s biggest sustainability challenges.
For example, the Bosnia and Herzegovina squad will be travelling over 5,000km from Toronto to Los Angeles to Seattle. Their training camp is in Salt Lake City, which means even more air miles.
Reusing stadiums instead of building new ones
What is FIFA doing to cut down on the World Cup’s carbon? One thing is that it’s reusing existing infrastructure instead of building new stadiums.
Unlike recent World Cups in Qatar and Russia, where several new venues were built specifically for the competition, all 16 host stadiums in North America were already operational before the tournament was awarded.
That decision avoids the substantial carbon emissions associated with manufacturing concrete, steel and other construction materials, while also reducing the risk of stadiums becoming underused after the event.
From an environmental perspective, reusing existing venues is often one of the most effective ways large sporting events can minimise their long-term impact.
The stadium leading the way on sustainability
Among all the host venues, the Mercedes-Benz stadium in Atlanta stands out as one of the most environmentally friendly.
The stadium became the first professional sports venue in the US to achieve LEED Platinum certification, the highest standard for sustainable building design.
Its sustainability features include:
- More than 4,000 solar panels installed across the site
- Around 1.6 million kWh (kilowatt hours) of renewable electricity generated annually
- A 29% reduction in electrical consumption through energy efficient design
- A 1.1 million gallon underground rainwater collection system used for cooling and irrigation
As one of the key venues of the tournament, hosting eight matches including a semi-final, the Mercedes-Benz stadium offers a glimpse of what a lower-carbon future for major sporting venues could look like.
Houston’s renewable electricity pledge
Houston has also made one of the most ambitious sustainability commitments among the host cities, which is particularly important given its longstanding history as a city in the centre of the US oil and gas industry.
The city’s organising committee has pledged that all main official World Cup sites will operate using 100% renewable electricity throughout the tournament.
The move reflects a broader trend emerging across major sporting events, with host venues increasingly turning towards renewable energy and low-carbon technology such as solar panels to reduce operational emissions.
While renewable electricity alone can’t eliminate the tournament’s overall carbon footprint, it can significantly reduce emissions associated with stadium operations, broadcasting facilities and fan zones.
The contradiction at the heart of FIFA’s climate ambitions
Despite these positive developments, questions remain about whether FIFA’s sustainability messaging matches its commercial partnerships.
The organisation has pledged to reduce emissions by 50% by 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions by 2040. With this in mind, however, it’s hard to explain its agreement with Saudi Aramco as its exclusive energy partner.
The state-owned company, one of the world’s largest oil producers, reportedly agreed a four-year sponsorship deal worth around $100 million per year. It has been responsible for more than 4% of all global greenhouse gas emissions since 1965.
Critics argue that partnerships with major fossil fuel companies undermine the credibility of climate commitments made by sporting organisations and say major sporting events should support clean energy.
It begs a big question: can organisations genuinely promote sustainability while relying on sponsorship revenue from fossil fuel producers?
How fans can reduce their environmental impact
A lot of the discussions unsurprisingly focuses on the organisers, but there are plenty of things football fans can do to help.
If you’re travelling to matches
- Use public transport wherever possible rather than renting a car or taking domestic flights
- Travel with friends and share transport to reduce emissions per person
- Choose accommodation close to stadiums and fan zones wherever possible to minimise daily journeys
- Bring a reusable water bottle instead of buying single-use plastics in stadiums that allow it
- Support local restaurants and businesses that prioritise sustainable practices
If you’re watching from home
- Stream matches on a single device rather than multiple screens
- Use energy-efficient televisions and switch devices off completely when not in use
- Avoid leaving lights on during matches
- If available, choose a renewable electricity tariff from your energy supplier
- Host watch parties rather than multiple households streaming separately
Can the World Cup ever be sustainable?
The reality is that an event of this size will always carry a significant environmental cost. Millions of journeys, global broadcasting infrastructure and large-scale stadium operations inevitably need substantial energy consumption.
Yet the 2026 World Cup also shows us how major events can adopt more sustainable practices through renewable electricity, energy-efficient venues and better use of existing infrastructure.
This year, the World Cup may not be carbon neutral, but we think it could provide a useful blueprint for how future sporting events balance global entertainment with environmental responsibility.
When the first whistle blows this summer, the world’s attention will be fixed on football. Behind the scenes, however, the competition will also serve as a test of whether sport’s sustainability ambitions can keep pace with its ever-growing scale.
