FIFA is set to announce record revenues of $15bn (£11.2bn) from this summer’s World Cup, smashing the governing body’s own pre-tournament projections and handing president Gianni Infantino a timely financial boost after a turbulent month on and off the pitch.
FIFA’s member associations were informed of the figure by Infantino over the weekend, with the final number coming in well above the $11bn originally forecast.
Much of the extra income has reportedly come from hospitality and ticketing, particularly the secondary market, where FIFA collects a 15% cut from both buyer and seller on every resale.
With demand for tickets, especially at the business end of the tournament, driving prices sharply upward, that resale mechanism appears to have become an unexpectedly lucrative revenue stream.
The scale of the windfall means FIFA’s national federations are likely to see a larger share of World Cup earnings than anticipated, though how that expanded pot will be distributed has yet to be confirmed.
The financial news lands at a useful moment for Infantino, whose standing has been tested by controversy in the tournament’s host nations. FIFA faced heavy criticism after appearing to bow to political pressure by lifting a red card suspension handed to USMNT striker Folarin Balogun, a decision FIFA insists was made independently by its disciplinary committee.
Despite the backlash, Infantino has secured over 200 pledges of support from member associations ahead of his re-election bid in March, and the prospect of a bigger financial payout may make FAs still less likely to voice public dissent.
The bumper revenue could also strengthen the case for the United States hosting a future edition. With bidding open for the 2038 World Cup, Donald Trump used a reception last week to push for the US to host again this time, he suggested, without Canada or Mexico as co-hosts. Talks between the US and FIFA over hosting the 2029 Club World Cup are already underway.
The scale of the sums involved was on display even as the final approached: on Saturday evening, VIP “trophy lounge” packages for the Spain-Argentina final in New Jersey were still available on FIFA’s ticketing portal, priced at $34,500 per person.
