Abstract
FIFA World Cup™ (FWC) is the world’s largest sporting event in a single sport. Due to its popularity, starting with its 2026 edition, FWCs will accommodate 48 participating teams instead of the current 32. This will provide an estimated profit of one billion US dollars. However, the expansion of FWC will also accelerate its carbon footprint due to increased use of transportation and tourist accommodation. This carbon footprint has not been considered by FIFA when deciding on the number of FWC participants. To showcase the carbon implications of the FIFA decision, this study assesses the carbon footprint of tourist accommodation during possible future staging of the 2030 FWC in South America. To this end, two scenarios are assessed: in Scenario 1 the current structure of 32 teams is maintained and in Scenario 2 an expansion to 48 teams is considered. A comparative analysis of these two scenarios shows that, only due to increased demand for tourist accommodation, the FIFA’s decision to increase the number of FWC participants will accelerate its carbon footprint by 24%. To reduce this carbon footprint, FIFA should consider choosing host countries on the basis of their national energy use matrices. FIFA should further prioritise those countries with the largest number of climate-friendly tourist accommodations exemplified, for example, by the award of reputable environmental certifications.
•An attempt to assess the carbon implications of an international football tournament.•A case study of tourist accommodation at the 2030 FIFA World Cup™.•The new tournament model increases hotel demand by 75%.•It further increases the carbon footprint of tourist accommodation by 24%.•The energy use matrices of host countries are important determinants of the carbon footprint.