FIFA is about to make more money than most small nations produce in a year. The 2026 World Cup across the United States, Mexico, and Canada is a monster. We are looking at 48 teams instead of 32. That means 104 matches packed into a single tournament. FIFA projects a jaw-dropping $13 billion in revenue for this four-year cycle, with roughly $8.9 billion coming directly from this tournament alone.
It sounds like a gold mine. But if you think the cities hosting these games are going to get rich, you are completely wrong.
The reality of a supersized World Cup is a massive transfer of wealth. Money flows directly from local taxpayers and desperate football fans straight into FIFA’s tax-exempt pockets in Zurich. While global football executives toast to record-breaking sponsorship deals and skyrocketing broadcast rights, the people on the ground are left holding the bill.
The Myth of the Local Economic Windfall
Every time a mega-sporting event comes to town, local politicians line up to promise billions in economic impact. They point to a FIFA-backed study claiming a $30 billion economic benefit across North America, including a cool $2 billion for regions like North Texas.
But talk to anyone who actually manages city budgets, and the tone changes completely. Arlington Mayor Jim Ross put it bluntly when discussing the massive investments local cities are making. He noted that when people talk about economic impact, it is not the city cash registers that are ringing.
Local governments do not collect a percentage of every beer sold or hotel room booked in a way that matches what they spend. Instead, they absorb the massive upfront structural costs. Look at Canada. Back in 2018, Toronto estimated its hosting costs would hit around C$45 million. Now? The price tag has ballooned to at least C$380 million. Vancouver is staring down a bill of C$624 million for just seven games. The Canadian Parliamentary Budget Office estimates the country will spend over C$1 billion in total. That means taxpayers are spending roughly C$82 million for every single match played on Canadian soil.
Where does that money go? It goes into meeting FIFA’s incredibly strict, non-negotiable guidelines. Stadiums must be retrofitted. Massive security perimeters must be built. Transit systems must be overhauled to handle hundreds of thousands of fans moving simultaneously. If a city wants the prestige of hosting, it pays up. If it refuses, FIFA simply moves to the next bidder.
How Fans Are Being Squeezed on the Ground
If you think the ticket prices are bad, look at how fans are being treated just trying to get to the stadiums. Because local governments are realizing how deeply in the hole they are, they are looking for any way to claw back funds.
Take the final at MetLife Stadium. The transit authorities in New York and New Jersey initially tried to price a round-trip commuter train ticket from central New York to the stadium at a staggering $150. For a train ride that normally costs $12.90. After public outrage and threats of boycotts, they dropped it to $105, and later to $98. The New Jersey governor explicitly blamed FIFA for the mess, noting that the governing body flatly refused to subsidize transit expenditures for the fans attending their event.
Then there is the ticketing ecosystem itself. Back in 2018, the United Bid promised that tickets to the final would max out at $1,550. When official supporters' club tickets actually went on sale, the top-tier tickets were listed at a staggering $8,680. Fan groups have called it a monumental betrayal, estimating that the cost of following a team to the final is five times higher than it was in Qatar.
To make matters worse, FIFA launched its own official ticket resale platform. It charges a 15% fee to the buyer and another 15% fee to the seller. That means for every $1,000 ticket resold on their platform, FIFA pockets an extra $300 in pure profit for doing almost nothing. It is a system so aggressive that the attorneys-general of New York and New Jersey have launched investigations into "impossibly high" prices and price manipulation.
Where the Billions Actually Go
So if the cities are broke and the fans are bleeding cash, where does that $13 billion end up?
FIFA is technically a Zurich-based not-for-profit organization. It targets a tiny modest surplus of around $100 million per cycle. The rest of the cash is redistributed. The bulk of it—about $3.9 billion—goes into the FIFA Forward program. This system sends money to 211 member associations across the globe to fund local football development. Under Gianni Infantino, these payments have increased eightfold. Every single association gets $8 million over the four-year cycle, regardless of size.
Consciously or not, this massive redistribution of cash keeps the political machinery well-oiled. Infantino faces a re-election cycle next year. Sending billions of dollars to national football federations around the world guarantees a loyal voting bloc. The supersized World Cup is not large because it makes the tournament better; it is large because more games mean more TV rights, more sponsorships, and more cash to distribute to the voters who keep the leadership in power.
Meanwhile, FIFA is also using the cash to rebuild its own financial mattress. Its cash reserves dropped from $3.9 billion after Qatar down to $2.7 billion. This tournament will completely replenish those coffers, leaving the organization safer and wealthier than ever.
The Playbook for Local Leaders
If your city is hosting matches or considering a bid for future tournaments, you cannot rely on the rosy economic projections provided by organizers. You have to play defense.
First, freeze infrastructure spending early. Do not build permanent structures for temporary events. Use temporary overlays and modular seating that can be disassembled and sold after the final whistle.
Second, push back on exclusivity clauses. FIFA demands massive tax exemptions and corporate protection zones around stadiums, wiping out local business revenues. Cities need to negotiate joint-marketing ventures that force tournament sponsors to invest directly into community legacy projects, rather than just taking local dollars out of the market.
Finally, do not let transit become an afterthought. Force the organizing committees to fund event-day transportation infrastructure through tournament revenues rather than spiking commuter fares for everyday citizens. The bill is coming, and if you do not write the terms of the contract early, your local taxpayers will be paying it off for the next decade.
