World Cup 2026: A Major Challenge on Emissions and Intercontinental Travel

However, alongside the festive atmosphere of the world's most popular sport, this year's tournament has also raised significant environmental concerns. Many experts warn that it could be the World Cup with the highest greenhouse gas emissions in history, despite the fact that no new stadiums are being built for the event.

According to estimates from the environmental analysis platform Greenly, the 2026 World Cup could generate up to 7.8 million tons of CO2, more than double the emissions of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. This figure is equivalent to the annual emissions of about 1.7 million cars or an entire country like Sierra Leone. For many climate researchers, this is a clear demonstration of the challenges global-scale sports events face in the context of an increasingly urgent fight against climate change.

The main cause of this situation comes from travel activities. Researchers estimate that 87% of tournament-related emissions will come from transportation, especially air travel. Millions of fans, thousands of journalists, technical staff, and 48 national teams will constantly move between venues spread across North America. According to Madeleine Orr, a researcher specializing in the environment in sports, the World Cup is a great event for football and global connectivity, but it causes significant climate repercussions.

The difference between the 2026 World Cup and the 2022 tournament in Qatar clearly shows the complexity of the environmental puzzle. Qatar was criticized for building seven new stadiums for the tournament, leading to large emissions from construction. However, the advantage of this Gulf nation was its small geographical size, which significantly limited travel between venues. In contrast, the 2026 World Cup does not require any new stadiums, but it spans three countries: the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The distance between the farthest host cities, Vancouver and Miami, is nearly 4,500 km.

According to geographer David Gogishvili from the University of Lausanne (Switzerland), eliminating one emission source does not mean solving the overall problem. He argues that expanding the number of participating teams to 48 and organizing the tournament over such a vast geographical area has created a new type of environmental impact, mainly from air travel demand. Although the organizers have divided venues into three regions—West, Central, and East—to reduce travel distances, many teams still have to undertake journeys of thousands of kilometers during the group stage. For example, the England team will have to travel about 2,770 km between matches in Dallas, Boston, and New Jersey.

These figures are even more striking given that FIFA committed at the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) to halve carbon emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2040 under the UN's "Sports for Climate Action" program. However, to date, the organization has not announced any specific emission targets for the World Cup. According to many experts, this shows a significant gap between climate commitments and actual implementation.

FIFA asserts that it has implemented numerous initiatives to reduce the tournament's environmental impact. Measures include leveraging existing infrastructure, encouraging the use of public transportation, limiting diesel generators, enhancing recycling, and reducing food waste. Nevertheless, researchers believe these efforts are unlikely to fully offset the massive emissions from transport and the growing energy demands.

Besides transportation, another emission source drawing experts' attention is the impact of digital technology. With 48 teams participating, including first-time entrants such as Cape Verde, Curaçao, Jordan, and Uzbekistan, the 2026 World Cup is expected to attract record online audiences. Billions of people will follow the matches through television, streaming platforms, social media, and mobile apps.

As sports increasingly become a global industry watched by billions, the 2026 World Cup poses a major question for the future of international events: how to maintain the appeal and scale of global sports festivals while minimizing climate impact? With emissions from transport and digital technology continuing to rise, the answer to this puzzle will not only determine the sustainability of football but also have far-reaching implications for the entire sports industry in the coming decades.