FIFA is the comically corrupt organization that controls every aspect of the planet’s premier sporting event, and if you want to play host you have to go through them. Unlike the Super Bowl, the World Cup takes place only every four years, so the leadership at FIFA makes sure to squeeze the last drop of juice from the orange each and every time a ball is put into play. If you want to play host to a World Cup match, FIFA makes sure you’re going to pay for the privilege.
According to some very fine reporting from Phil Hay at The Athletic’s daily football newsletter, The Athletic FC, FIFA has a healthy wish list for any stadium that wants a piece of the action. As far as the stadiums are concerned, FIFA gets the revenue from ticket sales, concessions and even parking fees, which it immediately jacks up several hundred percent. Wonder why broadcasts have been referring to MetLife as New York New Jersey Stadium? Because FIFA demands host stadiums remove or conceal all non-FIFA corporate branding. They even demand that directional signage—for example: MetLife Stadium next left—within a certain “clean zone” around the venue be changed for the duration of the tournament, at no cost to FIFA.
So, not much in it for the stadiums. Hosting the cup must be good for the local municipalities, right? Well, if you can manage to turn a profit after waiving local taxes on ticket sales, paying for security and operational costs, funding infrastructure upgrades and footing the bill for FIFA executives to have police escorts, sure. NJ Transit is charging 98 bucks a ride and still won’t turn a profit. Sweet deal.
The only way to describe the deal FIFA is offering is raw, and as a point of fact, plenty of cities tell them to kick rocks. Rahm Emanuel was mayor of Chicago when FIFA came knocking to negotiate a deal to host World Cup matches at Soldier Field. According to Emanuel, they whipped out a list of demands that included all the goodies above and a bonkers contract provision that allowed FIFA to demand a taxpayer-funded dome be built on the stadium should it deem it necessary. The mayor asked in no uncertain terms what was in it for the city of Chicago, and FIFA responded with “exposure.” There are no matches in the Windy City during the 2026 World Cup, so you already know what his answer was.
FIFA makes these exorbitant demands for one reason: They can. For every Chicago that tells FIFA to keep dribbling until they hit water, there’s a Kansas City, Dallas or New York/New Jersey that will find a way to justify the cost. I get it; FIFA promises billions will be pumped into local economies, and the World Cup is one of the few events that allows states and cities to promote themselves to a truly global audience. I’d advise care before signing on the dotted line, because when the TV trucks and team buses pull away and all the beans have been counted, those billions have a habit of becoming just bills.
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