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The 2026 World Cup in the US, Canada, and Mexico has come to an end. FIFA is expected to rake in $9 billion in revenue

The largest World Cup in history in terms of scale in the US, Canada, and Mexico wrapped up on Sunday (July 19 local time). The Spain team beat Argentina 1-0 in extra time to claim the highest honor in international football, the tournament’s once-every-four-years title.

In stoppage time, Argentina’s Enzo Fernández was shown a second yellow card for fouling Spain defender Pau Cubarsí, leaving Argentina with only 10 players on the pitch. Ferran Torres of Spain scored the only goal of the match in extra time, helping Spain win their second World Cup title in history.

During halftime in the final, celebrities including Madonna, Justin Bieber, BTS, and Shakira all joined in for the World Cup’s first “Super Bowl-style” halftime show.

Judging by the outcome, whether the on-pitch passion or the off-pitch celebrations ultimately all funnel into FIFA’s ledgers. Behind the scenes, FIFA is set to be the financial winner of this edition. Based on its own estimate, this most influential sporting spectacle in the world of football will generate more than $9 billion in revenue in 2026.

World Cup expands in size

This World Cup is the first edition to expand to 48 teams, whereas four years ago there were only 32 teams. This means the number of matches increases from 64 to 104, and the schedule extends from four weeks to six weeks.

The added matches give broadcasters more content to air, offer fans more tickets to buy, and provide advertisers with more commercial opportunities, while also attracting a wider global audience.

For years, FIFA President Gianni Infantino has been one of the main driving forces behind the commercialization of football events.

According to TicketData, ticket prices range from $60 to more than $10k, with the median ticket price reaching above $900.

As the tournament nears, concerns have been raised about the affordability of World Cup tickets and whether fan demand can continue to hold. Even so, data analytics firm Football Benchmark says actual demand has shown strong resilience.

On Friday (July 17), Antonio Di Cianni, managing director and advisor at Football Benchmark, pointed out in an interview that “during the group stage, stadium utilization had already basically hit its peak, reaching 99%. This shows people are willing to pay these prices.”

The executive in charge also said this will be the most profitable World Cup to date.

Bolstered by strong ticket sales performance, Infantino has already begun proposing a further expansion of the tournament to 64 teams by 2030. He said on July 10 that “these are the issues we will be discussing after our World Cup.”

Kieran Maguire, associate professor of football finance at Liverpool University, said that if implemented, a World Cup with 64 teams would see nearly one-third of eligible countries participate, thereby improving the inclusiveness of the sport.