World Cup 2026 kicks off as biggest ever, with host-city payday under scrutiny

The biggest World Cup in history kicks off on 11 June, and the scale is staggering. For the first time the tournament spans three host nations, the United States, Canada and Mexico, across 16 host cities, with 48 teams playing 104 matches over more than a month of football.

For FIFA, the expanded format is a windfall. Governing-body projections put tournament revenue at roughly US$8.9 billion, the bulk of its US$13 billion target for the 2023 to 2026 cycle, against a record budget of about US$3.76 billion. Broadcast income alone is forecast near US$3.8 billion, up more than a fifth on Qatar 2022, with sponsorship climbing to around US$2.4 billion. Prize money reaches a record US$871 million.

The picture on the ground is more complicated. FIFA has leaned on dynamic pricing for the first time at a World Cup, with seats for marquee fixtures running well into the thousands of dollars and resale listings for the final reaching eye-watering sums. The model has drawn criticism from fans and consumer groups, and with kickoff days away, thousands of tickets across host cities remain unsold.

Host-city economics are under fresh scrutiny too. Industry surveys point to hotel bookings tracking behind early forecasts, with one US lodging association reporting that most hotels it surveyed saw reservations below expectations. A softer-than-anticipated international turnout, blamed partly on tighter US entry rules and higher airfares, is squeezing the high-spending overseas fans that cities had counted on. Sports economists have long warned that mega-events rarely deliver the headline windfalls promised, citing substitution and crowding-out effects.

None of which dampens the spectacle. Once the group stage is in full flow, demand may yet rebound. But for the venues, hoteliers and host cities banking on a generational payday, the 2026 World Cup is shaping up as a test of whether the biggest event ever also pays out as advertised.