In its latest financial report, FIFA increased its revenue forecast for the four-year cycle from 2022 to 2026 to $13 billion.
This year alone, around $9 billion of this sum is expected to be achieved.
In comparison, the 2024 Paris Olympics generated revenue of around $5.24 billion.
FIFA's revenue increased 73 percent from the $7.5 billion level in Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022.
Revenue sources and strategic changes
The decision to expand from 32 to 48 teams played a major role in the tournament's financial success.
Increasing the number of games from 64 to 104 increased the amount of content to be sold to broadcasters.
Publishing rights: Sales of broadcast rights, FIFA's largest revenue item, reached record levels thanks to the increased number of games and the adjustment of time zones to the North American and European markets.
Tickets and entertainment: Matchday revenue, which stands at $950 million in Qatar, is expected to rise to $3 billion for this tournament.
Commercial partnerships: With 16 global agreements and regional sponsorships with major brands such as Adidas, Aramco and Coca-Cola, it is targeting sales of $2.7 billion.
Sharp increase in ticket prices
High demand in the North American market has caused ticket prices to rise to historic highs.
Ticket prices for the final in New Jersey start at $4,185 and go up to $10,990.
These figures represent seven times the cost of the cheapest ticket for the Qatar 2022 final and around 40 times the cost of the Euro 2024 final.
Prize pool and tax discussions
FIFA announced that it has increased the tournament's prize pool by 50 percent to $871 million. Accordingly, each participating country will receive at least 12.5 million dollars, the championship prize is 50 million dollars.
However, some associations, particularly in the United States, fear they will lose money from the tournament due to federal and state taxes.
FIFA is in intensive negotiations about granting federal tax exemptions for national associations.
Tensions with the host cities
As FIFA breaks revenue records, financial disputes with host cities are attracting attention. FIFA; It receives all revenue from broadcasting, sponsorship and tickets, but expects the host cities to cover costs such as security and transport.
This has led to increased transportation costs and some cities, such as New York, have canceled their “Fan Festival” plans.
New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill criticized FIFA for not contributing to transportation costs and said the $48 million bill must be passed on to taxpayers.
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