World Cup 2026 'most polluting ever' claims report

The 2026 Fifa World Cup in the USA, Canada, and Mexico is projected to be the most environmentally damaging in history, with over nine million tonnes of CO2e estimated to be emitted due to increased matches and air travel. This total is almost double that of previous tournaments and surpasses the carbon footprint of the 2022 tournament in Qatar. Despite initial hopes of setting new sustainability standards, concerns over the environmental impact of the expanded event have been raised by environmentalists.