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The 2026 FIFA Men鈥檚 World Cup could become the 鈥榤ost polluting ever鈥�, according to a new report examining football鈥檚 relationship with climate change.

The study, released ahead of this summer鈥檚 tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico, claims football鈥檚 governing bodies are prioritising commercial expansion over environmental concerns, saying the sport has become deeply tied to fossil fuel interests and unsustainable growth.

Delivered by The University of Manchester, Loughborough University and the University of Bristol, the report states football鈥檚 carbon footprint is not simply caused by fan travel or stadiums, but is politically produced through decades of commercial growth, globalisation, ties to fossil fuel companies and Petrostates.

A Petrostate is a nation whose economy and political power are largely dependent on the extraction and export of oil or natural gas.

Key findings

• Elite football increasingly relies on investment from fossil fuel-rich states and companies, including sponsorships and ownership models linked to Gulf nations and energy firms.
• FIFA鈥檚 partnership with Saudi oil giant Aramco is singled out by the authors, who claim football has become central to a wider strategy of sportswashing by fossil fuel interests.
• The expanded 48-team format for the 2026 Men鈥檚 World Cup will significantly increase emissions due to the greater number of matches and the vast travel distances across North America.
• The tournament will feature 104 matches across 16 host cities spanning the entire continent. The last Men鈥檚 World Cup in 2022, Qatar, saw 64 matches played across the 32-team tournament.
• FIFA鈥檚 environmental policies are scrutinised, with the research team accusing the organisation of promoting sustainability rhetoric while simultaneously expanding competitions and strengthening ties with fossil fuel sponsors.

The study highlights concerns over future tournaments, noting that Saudi Arabia is set to host the 2034 World Cup while the United States withdrew from the Paris climate agreement under President Donald Trump.

Why this matters

The researchers say the expanded 48-team format for the 2026 Men鈥檚 World Cup will significantly increase emissions due to the greater number of matches and the vast travel distances across North America.

The tournament will feature 104 matches across 16 host cities spanning the entire continent. The last Men鈥檚 World Cup in 2022, Qatar, saw 64 matches played across the 32-team tournament.

FIFA鈥檚 environmental policies are also scrutinised, with the research team accusing the organisation of promoting sustainability rhetoric while simultaneously expanding competitions and strengthening ties with fossil fuel sponsors.

The study also highlights concerns over future tournaments, noting that Saudi Arabia is set to host the 2034 World Cup while the United States withdrew from the Paris climate agreement under President Donald Trump.

What the researchers say

Lead researcher, Dr Mark Doidge, Reader in Sociology of Sport at Loughborough University, said: 鈥淔ootball is the world鈥檚 most popular sport, and probably the most popular activity. It is for this reason that football authorities, like FIFA, continue to exploit it for commercial profit."

鈥淔ootball is also a cultural powerhouse with millions of fans, volunteers, and players trying to make the sport better. Football can, and should, use its influence to mitigate against climate change.鈥�

Dr James Jackson, Lecturer at The University of Manchester, said: 鈥淒espite the last World Cup offering a preview of what football would be like in a significantly warmer world, FIFA has remained indifferent to better regulation. Rather than being proactive and ensuring football helps mitigate against the worst impacts of climate change, they are - at best - pursuing meagre adaptation measures for things which affect fans and players."

Dr Oscar Berglund, Senior Lecturer in International Public and Social Policy at the University of Bristol, said: 鈥淔IFA has made elite men鈥檚 football the primary target of Petrostate sportswashing. This World Cup, with the ridiculous Trump Peace Prize and having Saudi Aramco, the world鈥檚 largest polluter, as its main sponsor, reaches new levels.

鈥淚t has been a key strategy of Petrostates to use football鈥檚 unrivalled cultural influence globally. They don鈥檛 need to convince us that fossil fuels are good, just that they are inevitable. So, as we watch and love our beautiful game, we come to accept the necessary evil of fossil capital.鈥�

Club sustainability and commercial pressure

As part of the study, researchers interviewed sustainability managers working in football clubs across Europe, many of whom described tensions between environmental targets and the commercial demands of the modern game.

According to the report, sustainability initiatives are often only approved if they do not disrupt football鈥檚 core product, including the scheduling and broadcasting of matches.

Some interviewees said clubs remained more focused on increasing revenues than reducing environmental costs, despite the growing financial risks posed by flooding, heatwaves and fixture disruption.

Recommendations

The investigation proposes a series of recommendations aimed at reducing football鈥檚 environmental impact.

• FIFA should stop awarding tournaments to Petrostates.
• Restrictions should be placed on fossil fuel ownership of clubs.
• Fossil fuel advertising and sponsorship should be banned in football.
• Football authorities should halt the expansion of competitions.
• Sustainability managers should be embedded into all levels of club decision-making rather than operating in isolated compliance roles.

FIFA response

FIFA has previously defended its sustainability strategies and said major tournaments can drive investment, infrastructure and development in host nations. The organisation has also said that expanding competitions increases global participation and opportunities for smaller footballing nations.

Publication details

To read the full report, . The findings will form part of Football and Climate Change: The Unsustainability of the Beautiful Game, due to be published in 2027.