The average user is expected to spend approximately $5,400 in the USA – much higher Visitors to Qatar spent $720-$2,500 in 2022
Transport at this year’s tournament is fundamentally different from transport at the single-city tournament in Qatar or Russia in 2018, which provided free public transport and an additional 500 trains to get around.
This year, due to the long distances, the only option for fans and teams are flights, which airlines are adding to accommodate potential World Cup travelers.
“Teams and fans now have to factor in flights rather than tube rides, and the consequences in terms of carbon emissions and costs are real,” says Anagnostopoulos.
The need to book flights rather than trains or taxis may also reduce demand for hotels simply because travel costs are too high for some people. “Hotels in the U.S. are already reporting bookings below expectations,” says Anagnostopoulos. “Scale does not guarantee that crowds will come.”
Security
For organizers and host cities, the scale of the tournament requires huge investments in security, including against threats that barely crossed the minds of previous hosts.
issued by the US federal government $625 million in grants to host cities to solve security problems. Additionally, the Department of Homeland Security has made over $200 million in grants available to states to purchase anti-drone technology, with the U.S. Department of State emphasizing increasing access of hostile actors to drones and other technology.
In Canada, federal authorities have awarded approximately $104 million in grants to host cities Vancouver and Toronto. This means that the total amount of public subsidies in Canada and the United States alone is almost $1 billion, which is probably only a fraction of the actual costs of securing the tournament.
The size of the tournament and the fact that it pushes boundaries has driven the price up.
“Qatar 2022 benefited from a very compact geographic location, with venues operating in a relatively uniform environment. The 2026 World Cup will feature multiple cities, jurisdictions, agencies and technology ecosystems across the United States, Canada and Mexico,” says Leo Levit, chairman of Onvif, a membership body focused on the standardization of physical security products.
“The challenge is not simply the number of systems involved, but whether these systems can exchange information effectively,” he adds.
The future of the World Cup
The numbers tell the story of a tournament giving in to its own ambitions. It is not yet clear whether these investments will pay off in terms of tickets purchased and advertising spots sold. So why does FIFA pursue growth at all costs?
According to Simon Chadwick, professor of sport and geopolitical economics at the international SKEMA Business School, the reason may be increasing competition from other sports disciplines.
“What [FIFA president Gianni] Infantino seeks to ensure that soccer remains powerful, relevant, evident and does not begin to lose market share – to the NBA, which is based in China, India, Africa and the Gulf region; to the NFL making moves in Europe; and Formula 1, which has become hugely popular, especially in North America,” says Chadwick.