How Climate Change Will Impact the World Cup

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is set to be the biggest single sporting event of all time, with 48 teams and an expected 1.2 million international visitors. After the 2022 edition was hosted during winter months to avoid Qatar’s extreme heat, the 2026 World Cup returns as a summer spectacle. 

Such climate-based changes highlight the increasing impact that climate change is having on sport. The reverse effects of sport on the climate are also significant, meaning both sporting bodies like FIFA and national governments are having to adapt to climate-related risks.

With a focus on this year’s World Cup, this article will explore the relationship between sport and the environment, while also looking at what’s being done to mitigate and adapt to some of these impacts ahead of the tournament.

The Impact of the World Cup on the Environment

The link between sport and climate change is two-way, so it is important to first learn the impact that sport is having.

A tournament spanning three nations, World Cup fans will have significant distances to travel should they want to watch their team play multiple times. With air travel being particularly polluting, travel is the biggest contributor to sport’s carbon production, with sport accounting for around 1% of global emissions.

Using England as an example, fans will have to travel a total of 14,698 miles should they watch every England game from the group stage to a potential final. According to a BBC report, this will generate around 3.4 tonnes of CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent) per person, roughly the equivalent of driving a small diesel car from London to Jakarta and back.

These high emissions are becoming more common as tournaments are now frequently shared between countries and held across wider areas as a result. The 2030 World Cup is set to span six countries across three continents, with analysis from Scientists for Global Responsibility (SGR) predicting an increase in air transport emissions between 160% and 325% for each of the three tournaments in 2026, 2030 and 2034 compared with average levels for the previous editions.

Another issue for FIFA to tackle is the construction of new infrastructure. Until recently, World Cup hosts were required to have a minimum of seven pre-existing arenas as part of their bid package. This rule reduced the negative environmental effects of building new venues, whilst also protecting the host nation from unnecessary expenses. However, from the 2034 World Cup to be held in Saudi Arabia, the number was reduced to four, meaning hosts are able to build more stadiums from scratch, meaning more materials will be needed, resulting in an increase in greenhouse gas emissions that comes with transporting them.

How Climate Change Threatens the World Cup 

Again, the relationship is two-way, and it is now time to explore how the climate crisis can impact the World Cup itself.

Partly as a result of unsustainable practices, the World Cup and its participating nations are expected to see an increase in extreme weather events—one of which is extreme heat, an issue that is already posing FIFA problems.

According to research conducted by Queen’s University Belfast, 14 of the 16 World Cup venues are at risk of exceeding the 28C threshold that many sporting bodies deem too hot to play in. Elite competition in such environments can increase the likelihood of heat exhaustion in both players and fans, while there is also a significant impact on performance, according to recent studies.

Flooding is another climate hazard that World Cup organisers face. In the same report, SGR states that various World Cup venues are vulnerable to critical flooding risk, with the tournament coinciding with the early peak of the Atlantic hurricane season.

Other types of hazards could include wildfires, poor air quality or drought, all of which would threaten the spectacle that is the FIFA World Cup.

Section 3: Mitigations and Adaptations

So what is being done about this? 

Despite the immediate risks posed between the World Cup and the climate crisis, it is important to note that some actions are being taken to both adapt to and mitigate some of the predicted hazards, as well as vital research looking at just how vulnerable sport is becoming.

Adaptations to environmental hazards can be as simple as thoughtful scheduling of World Cup games. In 2025, lead researcher of the Queen’s University Belfast report on high World Cup temperatures advised FIFA to avoid games between 12pm and 6pm, particularly in hotter regions. FIFA have largely done so, with only two of 17 games scheduled in the some of the hottest venues of Miami, Monterrey and Kansas taking place between these hours.

Individual teams are adapting too, with most World Cup sides set to take part in friendly games before the competition to help their players get used to the conditions. To support this, FIFA have introduced mandatory cooling breaks in all of the 104 World Cup games this summer, which will take place in the 22nd and 67th minute of each fixture to help manage the heat risk.

Venues themselves are also managing the effects of the climate crisis, and this includes within stadium design. Three stadiums, namely in Atlanta, Dallas and Houston, have air conditioning, while a further two have retractable roofs to help protect players and fans from extreme weather. These upgrades come as part of a wider attempt of climate-proofing modern stadiums, with the USD 600 million hurricane-resistant renovation to the Miami Marlin stadium acting as an example of necessary adaptations.

Ultimately, the relationship between climate change and sport is clear, with both posing risks to the other. In years to come, governing bodies, governments and fans will have to act to ensure sport has a sustainable future so that the World Cup can be enjoyed for decades and centuries to come.

Article by Zakaria Anani