Follow the Money: FIFA’s billions — where your World Cup ticket money goes

Follow the Money: FIFA’s billions — where your World Cup ticket money goes

From Business Daily by BBC World Service

June 8, 2026 · 18 min

About this episode

The episode explores the financial aspects of the FIFA World Cup 2026, including ticket sales and revenue distribution.

World Cup 2026 will span the United States, Canada and Mexico, with demand for tickets at record levels. Fifa stands to earn nearly $9 billion from the tournament, more than the entire Paris 2024 Olympics. So who pays, and where does the money actually go? Sam Fenwick follows the cash through the business of the World Cup: the rising price of tickets, Fifa’s own resale platform, the billions generated by broadcast rights and sponsors, and the host cities covering security and transport costs while receiving little direct revenue in return. Featuring Mark DiDonato (Florida State University), ticketing consultant Jim McCarthy, Amir Somoggi (Sports Value), and Alan Rothenberg, who led the 1994 US World Cup and now sits on the Los Angeles host committee. On Tuesdays, we Follow the Money with Sam Fenwick. Discover where the cash you're spending goes. Presenter: Sam Fenwick Producer: Matt Lines You can contact the team on businessdaily@bbc.co.uk (Photo: A Germany fan during training at the Fifa World Cup 2026 in North Carolina, USA. Credit: Chuck Burton/Reuters)

People in this episode

Host: Sam Fenwick

Guests: Mark DiDonato, Jim McCarthy, Amir Somoggi, Alan Rothenberg

Topics covered

  • World Cup
  • FIFA finances
  • ticket pricing
  • broadcast rights
  • sponsorship
  • host city costs

Keywords

  • FIFA
  • World Cup 2026
  • ticket money
  • broadcast rights
  • sponsorship
  • host cities
  • financial analysis

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: FIFA

Places: United States, Canada, Mexico

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