The World Cup 2026 promises to go down in history. For the first time, the tournament will feature 48 selections, 104 matches and will be held simultaneously in three countries: USA, Canada and Mexico.
Beyond sports records, FIFA has highlighted sustainability as one of the central pillars of the competition. The tournament's official strategy includes initiatives aimed at reducing environmental impacts, promoting social inclusion, strengthening governance and generating economic value for host communities.
Nonetheless, even before the kickoff, a discussion has already gained prominence. It will be possible to hold the biggest World Cup in history without also generating the largest carbon footprint ever recorded in a World Cup?
Sustainability on an unprecedented scale
the edition of 2026 presents characteristics that, at first sight, favor sustainability. Most of the stadiums already exist and did not require the construction of new arenas, significantly reducing the impacts associated with the production of materials and infrastructure works.
Furthermore, FIFA has promoted actions related to waste management, recycling, urban mobility, operational efficiency and engagement of host cities in environmental commitments.
These measures follow a trend observed in major international events, that seek to reduce their impacts and meet the growing expectations of sponsors, investors, governments and society in relation to ESG practices.
However, the unprecedented scale of the competition creates a challenge that is difficult to ignore.
The impact that goes beyond stadiums
Recent studies indicate that the FIFA World Cup 2026 can generate approximately 7,8 million tons of CO₂ equivalent, potentially becoming the most broadcast edition in history.
The main factor behind this number is not the stadiums or the operation of the games, but in the travel required to connect 16 host cities spread across three countries and receive millions of fans over just over a month of competition.
Estimates indicate that the largest portion of emissions will be associated with the air transport of athletes, delegations, professionals involved in organizing the event and, principally, fans.
This scenario highlights a reality that is increasingly present in discussions about corporate sustainability: the most relevant impacts are not always in direct operations.
The Scope challenge 3 on a global scale
Non-business universe, This phenomenon is known as indirect emissions or Scope 3.
These are impacts that occur along the value chain, involving suppliers, logistics, transport, corporate travel, use of products and other activities that are not under the direct control of the organization, but which can represent the majority of your carbon footprint.
The World Cup 2026 became an emblematic example of this challenge.
Even with initiatives aimed at operational efficiency and reducing local impacts, the volume of travel required to make the event viable may exceed the gains obtained on other environmental fronts.
In other words, the sustainability of a project cannot be assessed solely by the actions implemented, but also through the ability to understand and measure all impacts generated throughout its chain.
When measuring becomes as important as acting
In the last years, companies and institutions began to announce increasingly ambitious climate goals. Nonetheless, the credibility of these commitments depends on an essential factor: the quality of the data supporting these statements.
It is not enough to state that an operation is sustainable. It is necessary to demonstrate, with reliable information, what impacts were generated, how they were calculated and what actions are being taken to reduce them.
This movement has driven the adoption of greenhouse gas inventories, environmental monitoring systems, traceability mechanisms and increasingly detailed reports.
At the same time, new regulatory and market requirements are raising the level of transparency expected of organizations.
From the World Cup to the global market
The discussion raised by the World Cup 2026 dialogues directly with transformations that already affect companies in different sectors.
Initiatives such as the European Union Border Carbon Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), International climate disclosure standards and increasing demands from investors have reinforced the need for auditable and traceable environmental data.
In this context, measuring emissions is no longer just a sustainability practice and starts to represent a strategic requirement for access to markets, attracting investments and managing risks.
What happens at an international sporting mega-event reflects a challenge similar to that faced by organizations around the world: understand where your most relevant impacts are and how to manage them transparently.
The legacy of transparency
The World Cup 2026 demonstrates that sustainability and growth do not always go without conflicts. The larger the scale of an operation, greater tends to be the complexity to understand its real environmental impacts.
That is why, more than implementing sustainable actions, It is essential to develop mechanisms capable of measuring, track and communicate results accurately.
In a scenario where decisions are increasingly driven by data, sustainability is no longer just a declaration of intentions and begins to depend on the ability to transform information into effective management.
in the end, Reducing impacts starts with the ability to identify them. And what cannot be tracked can hardly be managed.
Want to understand better? Get in touch.