The 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico is set to become the most profitable sporting event in history, after FIFA's new financial estimates revealed revenues could reach $13 billion during the cycle from 2023 to 2026, with about $9 billion to be generated this year alone.

This figure far exceeds the revenues of the Paris 2024 Olympics, which amounted to about $5.24 billion, reflecting the massive shift in the commercial power of the World Cup.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino described the tournament during last December's draw as "the greatest event humanity has ever witnessed," and it seems the numbers support these statements. After the revenues of the Qatar 2022 World Cup reached about $7.5 billion, FIFA expects an additional growth of 73% with the 2026 edition, especially after the decision to expand the tournament from 32 to 48 teams and increase the number of matches from 64 to 104.

The majority of these revenues come from global television broadcasting rights, which have significantly increased due to the rise in the number of matches and improved broadcast timing for major markets in North America and Europe.

FIFA has also succeeded in introducing new revenue streams, most notably the sale of independent rights for the Women's World Cup, in addition to agreements with platforms like YouTube and TikTok to broadcast the first 10 minutes of matches in order to attract young audiences.

Tickets and hospitality are considered the second-largest source of income for FIFA, with expected revenues of nearly $3 billion, compared to just $950 million in the Qatar World Cup. The MetLife Stadium is expected to host the final, with its name temporarily changed to "New York New Jersey Stadium" during the tournament, in a version that seems poised to change the history of sports economics entirely.