NEW YORK: The 2026 FIFA World Cup concluded with Spain lifting the trophy at MetLife Stadium, capping what FIFA says was the biggest and most commercially successful tournament in the competition’s history.
Expanded to 48 teams for the first time, the tournament featured 104 matches, making it the largest World Cup ever staged. Co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, the event ran for more than a month under the competition’s new format.
FIFA said total tournament revenue is expected to exceed €7 billion (about $8 billion), around 56% higher than the revenue generated by the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The governing body also reported a record 6.81 million spectators attended matches across the three host nations, surpassing the previous attendance record of 3.59 million set during the 1994 World Cup in the United States.
FIFA also said the tournament broke global television viewership records, although detailed audience figures have yet to be released. US President Donald Trump claimed during a press conference that nearly 6 billion people watched the World Cup worldwide.
By comparison, the 2022 World Cup final between Argentina and France drew an estimated 1.5 billion viewers, the highest officially reported audience for a World Cup match.
Prize money also reached a record level, with FIFA increasing the total prize fund to $871 million, up from $440 million at the 2022 tournament.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino also revealed that a proposal to expand the 2030 World Cup to 64 teams has been submitted to the FIFA Council for consideration.
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The 2030 FIFA World Cup will be jointly hosted by Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, while Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay will each stage one opening-round match to commemorate the tournament’s centenary.
