The FIFA World Cup, the international soccer tournament held every four years, has long faced scrutiny for its potential to generate negative environmental impacts, ranging from carbon emissions and land-use change to water consumption and waste generation. 

In 2014, the FIFA World Cup in Brazil involved the construction and renovation of 12 stadiums, along with surrounding infrastructure projects, raising concerns that large-scale development could threaten habitats for native threatened and endangered species.

More than a decade later, the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada is expected to have one of the largest environmental footprints in the tournament’s history, with estimates projecting at least 9 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions.

Jonathan Casper, a professor of parks, recreation and tourism management at North Carolina State University who studies the environmental impact of sports, said travel is typically the largest contributor to the environmental footprint of FIFA World Cups.

Travel-related emissions often exceed those from stadium operations and matchday activities, as millions of fans travel to host countries while teams, referees, media and officials move between host cities throughout the tournament.

“If fans are flying from city to city to follow a team, those emissions add up fast.”

That challenge is amplified at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where matches are spread across three host countries and 16 host cities. While no new stadiums were built, avoiding construction-related impacts, that benefit is likely to be offset by travel. 

“If fans are flying from city to city to follow a team, those emissions add up fast,” said Casper, who co-authored the “Sports for Nature” report commissioned by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in 2022. 

Ultimately, Casper said the sustainability of a World Cup starts with how the event is planned, not just how the venues are built. Decisions about match locations, transportation and fan accommodations can play a major role in the tournament’s emissions.

“A stadium can do many positive things, such as recycling, composting, efficient lighting, water conservation, renewable energy, food donation and reusable cups.” Casper said. “Those efforts matter.”

But at a global event such as the FIFA World Cup or even the Olympics, “the larger impact is often tied to how millions of people get to the event and move around once they arrive,” he added.

The Problem With Sustainability as a Slogan

FIFA has committed to improving the sustainability of World Cups by establishing environmental guidelines and climate strategies, including targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions by 2040. 

Those commitments face criticism from environmental groups, some of which have described these claims as “greenwashing,” or sustainability messaging that overstates environmental achievements while downplaying broader impacts.

Critics argue the expanding scale of the World Cup — combined with extensive international travel and corporate sponsorships with major fossil fuel companies — push environmental responsibility to the sidelines. 

“A World Cup will never have zero impact on the environment,” Casper said. 

FIFA should instead focus on “reducing the impact it can control, make better choices easier for fans and report honestly on what worked and what did not,” Casper said. 

“To me, that is the test: not whether sustainability appears in a slogan, but whether fans experience it as part of a well-run, credible and responsible event,” he added. 

Major sports organizations such as FIFA, Formula 1 and the International Olympic Committee are increasingly using social media campaigns and public-facing pledges to highlight their sustainability initiatives.

In 2022, for example, FIFA launched the “Green Card for the Planet” social media campaign ahead of the Qatar World Cup, encouraging fans, players and participating teams to adopt environmentally conscious behaviors and raise awareness about climate-related issues.

While sustainability messaging such as FIFA’s “Green Card for the Planet” is well intentioned and may help raise awareness, much of it remains too broad and often fails to translate that awareness into specific, practical behaviors that fans can easily adopt at sporting events. 

“Fans are trying to get to the stadium, meet friends, buy food, watch the match and get home. A general environmental message can get lost,” Casper said. 

He added, “Fans may support sustainability, but they are often less aware of what the team, venue or event is actually doing. People cannot participate in something they do not see or understand. The communication has to be tied to something real and visible.”

Sustainability Starts With the Fan Experience

Casper said responsibility extends beyond fans themselves and falls on organizations such as FIFA to create conditions that make sustainable choices convenient, visible and part of the overall event experience.

Event organizers have the greatest influence because they design the systems that shape fan behavior. Transportation, infrastructure, communication and venue operations influence how fans interact with the event and the sustainable options available to them.

“I do not think we should treat fan behavior as simply an individual moral choice. Fans respond to the system sport organizations build around them,” Casper said. “If the sustainable option is clear, convenient, visible and socially normal, fans are much more likely to participate.”

For FIFA, that means reducing unnecessary travel, ensuring transit systems can accommodate large crowds, providing clear lower-impact transportation options and coordinating operations among stadiums, hotels, airports, fan zones and public transit networks.

“Sustainability cannot begin at the stadium gate. It starts when a fan buys a ticket, books a hotel, plans transportation, enters a fan zone and figures out how to get home after the match,” Casper said. 

FIFA and host-city organizers have taken steps in this direction by expanding public transit services, creating match-day shuttle networks and coordinating transportation plans across host cities.

Casper pointed to MetLife Stadium — rebranded as New York New Jersey Stadium for the 2026 FIFA World Cup — as an example of how transportation planning can shape the fan experience. The venue will host eight World Cup matches, including the final on July 19, 2026. 

Fans going to the stadium will rely heavily on mass transit, including transfers through Secaucus Junction to reach the Meadowlands rail line. The system is expected to reduce emissions by moving large crowds more efficiently and reducing reliance on individual car travel.

However, Casper emphasized that infrastructure alone is not enough; sustainable systems must also be designed around the fan experience. “People need clear directions, reliable service, crowd control, signage, late-night return options and good communication before they arrive.” 

Sustainability Within the Stadium

At the venue, Casper said FIFA and other sport organizations should prioritize sustainability measures that fans can directly see and participate in, including water refill stations, clear waste sorting, reusable cup systems, sustainable merchandise and more.

Casper’s research on fan engagement suggests that visible, tangible initiatives are more likely to connect with fans than abstract environmental claims because they provide clear, practical opportunities for fans to engage with sustainability.

Food is one example of how sustainability can become part of the everyday fan experience, with plant-based concessions, food waste reduction and local partnerships offering fans simple ways to make lower-impact choices without changing the enjoyment of the event.

“Sustainable food options should not be framed as niche environmental products, but rather as appealing, convenient and visible parts of the fan experience that connect to team identity and the culture of the event,” Casper said. 

For the World Cup, that could mean working with local food vendors, offering culturally relevant plant-based dining options and clearly communicating efforts around food waste reduction, donation and recovery.

FIFA has already introduced food-related sustainability measures, including using compostable and recyclable packaging, planning meals to reduce waste and supporting recovery programs for composting and recycling at tournament sites.

When fans can see where food comes from, how waste is managed and how their choices contribute to the host community, Casper said sustainability becomes a tangible part of the event rather than just a message.

“The goal is not simply to tell fans to eat differently, but to create conditions where sustainable choices feel natural, accessible and connected to the overall match experience,” he said.

The same principle applies to other visible fan behaviors, such as Japanese supporters cleaning their seating areas after World Cup matches, where sustainable actions become expressions of identity, pride and respect rather than simply rules imposed by event organizers.

Sustainability as More Than a Climate Issue

Public conversations around the World Cup’s environmental impact often focus heavily on its carbon footprint, and while those concerns are important, Casper said sport organizations should frame sustainability as a broader issue that extends beyond climate change.

Casper’s research has examined how political identity influences the way sport fans perceive and respond to sustainability efforts, highlighting the challenge of creating messages that resonate across different audiences. 

“Sustainability can become polarized if it is framed only as a climate issue,” Casper said.

When sustainability messaging becomes tied primarily to political debates around climate change, Casper said it can make some fans less receptive and shift attention away from practical actions they can take during the event. 

FIFA and other organizations should position sustainability as a shared responsibility rooted in everyday choices, from reducing waste and caring for venues to supporting host communities and creating a lasting positive legacy.

Sustainability That Lasts Beyond the Final Whistle

By embedding sustainability into event operations — from encouraging fans to use public transit systems to offering plant-based food options at concessions — FIFA and other major sport organizations can reduce their environmental footprint while encouraging fans to adopt sustainable practices in their daily lives.

“Sport events can expose fans to sustainable behaviors in ways that feel normal, social and practical,” Casper said. “That matters.” 

Casper added that these experiences give fans a firsthand look at sustainability in practice, making it easier for them to understand how they might apply behaviors like composting, recycling or using public transit beyond the stadium. 

For example, encouraging the use of public transit systems such as buses, trains and light rail for major sporting events like the World Cup can introduce fans to transportation options they may later consider using for concerts, workplace events or everyday commutes.

However, Casper said that exposure to sustainable practices at a major sporting event, even if impactful, may not translate into lasting behavioral change unless fans can access similar systems in their everyday lives.

“Composting at a stadium does not carry over if composting is not available at home or work,” Casper said. “Taking transit to a match does not necessarily change habits if local transit is unreliable.”

Still, Casper said sport can act as a catalyst for sustainable behavior by introducing fans to new practices, helping normalize those behaviors and connecting them to fan identity and shared expectations. “That is where sport organizations have real influence,” he said.