Fifa has committed to reducing emissions by 50% by 2030 and to reaching net-zero by 2040.
For this year’s tournament, the world football governing body set out a number of environmental pledges, including:
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hosting teams regionally which reduces “reliance on long-haul travel for a significant proportion of attendees”
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efforts to increase the energy efficiency by promoting the use of electric cars, public transport and water conservation
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the use of existing stadiums
However, even before the first ball was kicked on 11 June, there was scepticism from some climate scientists given the scale of the tournament.
A 2025 report from Scientists for Global Responsibility (SGR) estimated the overall carbon footprint of this World Cup could reach nine million tonnes of CO2e.
It said this would equate to almost double the average for the past four World Cups, making this year’s tournament the most polluting ever.
In 2023, a Swiss regulator said Fifa had “made false statements” by claiming that Qatar 2022 would be the first carbon-neutral World Cup in history by using investments in low-carbon initiatives to offset emissions.
In response to the ruling, Fifa said it is “fully aware that climate change is one of the most pressing challenges of our time and believes it requires each of us to take immediate and sustainable climate action”.
Infantino attended all 64 matches at the last World Cup in Qatar, where the eight stadiums used were separated by about an hour’s drive at most – but this year’s tournament spanning an entire continent presents a very different challenge.
Additional reporting by Mark Poynting.
