Expected to bring in about $5bn in ticket and hospitality sales at the 2026 World Cup, FIFA raking in almost six times more than the $929m it took in from 2022 Qatar tournament.
The figure is approximately one-third of the $15 billion revenue cited by FIFA president Gianni Infantino for the tournament, co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico.
That said, the ticketing revenue is still in audit mode and may end up a little different.
The 2026 tournament consisted of 104 matches, 40 more than the 64 in Qatar and increasing the amount earned.
FIFA came under fire for its unpopular ticketing policy, especially following the adoption of dynamic pricing and the 30 per cent commission it has for selling World Cup tickets via the official channel.
Tickets for the final, at Met Life Stadium, went for $4,185, a record seven times the cheapest for the 2022 final.
In response to the backlash, FIFA then offered 1,000 tickets for each match that were sold at the $60 mark.
The total attendance was 6.81 million, with the stadium occupancy rate reaching 99.7 per cent, according to the council.
FIFA, part of the revenue will go towards the development of football throughout its 211 member associations, including in men’s, women’s and youth football.
