How to Power the Largest FIFA World Cup Ever
When the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off this June, it will not only be the biggest football tournament ever staged, it will, by many metrics, be the single largest organised event in human history.
Its sheer scale is borne out in the numbers. 48 nations, 104 matches, 16 host cities, three countries and millions of miles travelled by attendees.
The scale of the undertaking is vast. And behind every floodlit pitch, every television pixel and every journey to and from a stadium lies one huge question.
How on earth do you power something like this?
The tournament’s energy statistics
Analysts from the SGR estimate the tournament will generate in the region of nine million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in total emissions, making it the most carbon-intensive World Cup in the history of the competition.
That figure is nearly double the historical average for tournaments between 2010 and 2022, and is roughly equivalent to 6.5 million average British cars being driven for an entire year.
This is partly down to the sheer size of this year’s tournament, which will see 48 teams compete for the first time, up from the 32 that competed in 2022.
That expanded format, which will see fans and players stretched across the US, Canada and Mexico, means that air travel alone will account for a huge proportion of the World Cup’s carbon footprint.
FIFA says that it “recognises that air travel is a significant contributor to the overall footprint of any major event,” adding that “it is clear that reducing emissions linked to flights is one of the biggest sustainability challenges major event organisers face”.
But to focus solely on that headline number would be to miss a more nuanced story unfolding at the venue level.
The stadiums
Unlike recent tournaments in Qatar and Russia, which required expensive purpose-built infrastructure, the North American hosts are leaning entirely on existing stadiums.
That decision has its own energy logic: no carbon-intensive construction, no freshly poured concrete, and no venues standing half-empty once the final whistle blows.
Several of the host venues have invested heavily in renewable energy in recent years. The Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, which will host eight matches, is the first professional sports venue in North America to earn LEED Platinum certification, the highest possible standard for sustainable building design.
Its campus is equipped with more than 4,000 solar panels, capable of generating around 1.6 million kilowatt hours of renewable electricity a year.
The stadium has also reduced overall electrical use by 29% through energy-efficient design, and a 1.1-million-gallon underground cistern captures rainwater for cooling and irrigation.
Arthur Blank, the Owner of the Atlanta Falcons says of the venue: “We set out to build a venue that would not only exceed expectations but also push the limits of what was possible in terms of stadium design, fan experience and sustainability.”
In Houston, the host committee has pledged to supply all main official tournament sites with 100% renewable electricity.
Across the US host cities, many venues either generate renewable power on-site through solar installations or purchase renewable energy credits to offset their grid consumption through long-term agreements with wind and solar projects.
The Mercedes-Benz Stadium: The World Cup’s greenest venue
When Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium was completed in 2017, it became the first professional sports venue in North America to achieve LEED Platinum certification, which is the highest standard in sustainable building design.
For the 2026 World Cup, it will host eight matches including a semi-final, making it one of the tournament’s most important venues.
The stadium's renewable energy credentials are impressive.
More than 4,000 solar photovoltaic panels, installed across ticketing canopies, parking areas and VIP entrances in partnership with Georgia Power, generate around 1.6 million kilowatt hours of electricity a year – enough to power the equivalent of all of Atlanta's home NFL fixtures each season.
Beyond generation, the stadium has been engineered to reduce energy demand overall. All in, the venue’s electrical consumption has been reduced by 29% through energy-efficient design, while a 1.1-million-gallon underground cistern harvests rainwater for cooling towers and irrigation.
For a tournament hoping to balance spectacle with sustainability, Atlanta's flagship stadium is one of the best examples of what an energy-conscious World Cup venue looks like in 2026.
Houston’s commitment to 100% renewable power
Of the 11 US host cities in the 2026 World Cup, Houston has made one of the boldest energy pledges.
The local host committee has committed to supplying all main official tournament sites with 100% renewable electricity during the competition, alongside a programme of energy efficiency measures designed to reduce overall consumption at venues and operations hubs.
Houston's position is notable given the city's identity as the energy capital of the US, home to the headquarters of many of the world's largest oil and gas companies.
As such, the commitment to clean power for the tournament speaks to a growing awareness within the city that its energy future is evolving.
NRG Stadium, which will host matches during the tournament, is among the venues covered by the renewable electricity pledge.
The approach mirrors a wider trend in major US sports. Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, home of the NFL's Las Vegas Raiders, transitioned to 100% carbon-free electricity ahead of Super Bowl LVIII in 2024. This year, it looks as though many cities are looking to hit that same milestone.
The concerns
The tournament’s relationship with energy is not without its complications, however.
FIFA's own climate strategy, first published in 2021, pledges to cut the organisation's emissions by 50% by 2030 and achieve net zero by 2040.
These are commendable targets, but critics have pointed to the contradictions embedded in the commercial programme for this tournament, most pointedly the presence of Saudi Aramco as FIFA's exclusive energy partner.
In 2024, the Saudi state-owned oil giant – responsible for 9-11% of global oil production according to S&P Global – signed a four-year deal with FIFA reportedly worth US$100m per year. For environmental campaigners, the partnership sends a signal that jars with FIFA's green rhetoric.
Its CEO, Amin H. Nasser, has been vocal in arguing that the world should continue investing in oil and gas rather than pursue accelerated phase-out timelines. The company has stated that its partnership with FIFA aligns with its goal of providing reliable energy to communities worldwide.
On the flipside, Amnesty’s Head of Economic & Social Justice, Steve Cockburn, is critical of the firm's involvement.
“Saudi Aramco, one of the world’s biggest fossil fuel producers, last year posted the largest annual profit ever made by a company of more than US$161bn," he explains.
“Amnesty International has urged that income from Aramco should not be deployed to finance human rights abuses, cover them up, or try and gloss over them through sports washing.”
Once the first match kicks off on 11 June, the footballing spectacle will dominate conversations. However, the question of energy will be coursing beneath the surface throughout the tournament.
