2026 World Cup's Carbon Footprint Could Be Double Qatar's

The 2026 FIFA World Cup, set to feature 48 teams, 104 matches and 16 host cities across North America, could produce about 7.8 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, an independent assessment by Greenly estimates—more than double the official emissions reported for the 2022 tournament in Qatar and comparable to the annual emissions of Sierra Leone.

Greenly found that spectator travel would dominate the footprint, accounting for roughly 87% of emissions. The group predicts international fans, while making up about 35% of attendance, would generate about 74% of travel-related emissions. The assessment draws on publicly available data to model team flights, spectator journeys, stadium operations, renovations, accommodation, logistics and waste.

Some categories look less carbon-intensive than in 2022: infrastructure is expected to contribute just 3.1% of emissions in 2026 because the tournament will reuse many existing venues, compared with 24.6% in Qatar, which built seven new stadiums. U.S.

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