// A Sustainability Report · 2026 FIFA World Cup · NYU Global Affairs
A Study Based on the FIFA World Cup — 92 years of tournaments, one warming planet. How climate change has reshaped the beautiful game, and what 2026 looks like against the backdrop of history.
// About This Report
The FIFA World Cup is the most-watched sporting event on Earth — drawing over 5 billion viewers and reshaping the infrastructure, energy grids, and carbon footprint of an entire nation for years. As the planet warms, these tournaments are increasingly held under conditions that would have been unthinkable decades ago.
This report traces every World Cup from Uruguay 1930 to Qatar 2022 — mapping temperature anomalies, CO₂ changes, and the key climate moments that defined each era. Then it turns the lens on 2026, when the expanded 48-team tournament spans three countries across North America.
All data is sourced from the Global Carbon Project, Berkeley Earth, IPCC AR6, and FIFA official records. See full sources →
// Key Numbers
// Research Hypothesis
Future summer World Cups will face significantly higher heat-related risks. Host cities in Spain, Portugal, and Morocco by 2030 will regularly experience WBGT levels exceeding safe thresholds for strenuous exercise — mirroring conditions that required special measures in 2014 and 2022.
The expansion and multi-host format of modern World Cups dramatically increases carbon footprints, raising doubts about sustainability claims. The 48-team, multi-national 2026 World Cup will generate nearly double the emissions of recent 32-team editions — international air travel being the dominant factor.
Current offset and mitigation strategies will be insufficient or lack integrity. The World Cup's carbon footprint could undermine global climate goals. Business-as-usual planning carries high risk — reconceptualizing what a "viable" World Cup looks like under climate change is urgent and necessary.
// Conceptual Framework
This research combines climate risk assessment with sustainable event management — viewing each World Cup as a system exposed to external climate hazards and generating measurable environmental impacts.
Risk = Hazard × Exposure × Vulnerability. Hazard is extreme heat, exposure includes players and fans, vulnerability involves preparedness and cooling measures. WBGT and UTCI metrics quantify heat stress probabilities.
Heat Risk · WBGT · UTCIScope 1 (direct on-site), Scope 2 (energy for venues), and Scope 3 (indirect: travel and construction). The tournament is modeled as a set of travel flows and infrastructure investments quantified in CO₂e terms.
LCA · Scope 1–3 · CO₂eFor repeat host nations (e.g. Mexico 1970 vs. 1986), we compare across tournaments. For first-time hosts, we compare CO₂ from bid year to tournament year — e.g. Russia won bid in 2010, hosted in 2018.
Global Carbon Project[↗] · Berkeley Earth[↗]First reducing emissions at source, then replacing high-carbon options, then offsetting as a last resort. We critically evaluate the gap between "carbon neutral" claims and actual climate impact of past tournaments.
Policy · FIFA · IPCC AR6[↗]// Why This Research Matters
Concrete climate risk indicators for upcoming World Cups give FIFA and host governments a scientific basis for scheduling, venue design, and player safety protocols. Modern planning assumes a stable climate — our analysis shows this is an increasingly dangerous assumption.
An independent assessment of true tournament emissions and the effectiveness of mitigation strategies. If multi-country formats emit substantially more, this should influence how FIFA approaches future bids — moving beyond broad pledges to evidence-backed measures.
Sport is a highly visible lens for climate impacts. When the World Cup adapts, billions take notice. This research adds to scholarly literature on climate resilience of mega-events — offering a methodology applicable to other global sporting events.
// World Cup Through the Lens
From packed terraces in 1930 to climate-controlled arenas in 2022 — the World Cup has always been a mirror of its era.
