The World Cup, which is unprecedented in scale and has high commercial value in history, has come to an end, and FIFA has achieved a huge revenue of 9 billion US dollars
The 2026 World Cup between the United States, Canada and Mexico became the highest-grossing sporting event in history. FIFA President Gianni Infantino has implemented an expansion strategy to significantly increase the overall revenue of the tournament. The scale of the 2030 World Cup is expected to further expand, and the commercial volume will reach a new high. Spain vs. Argentina in the World Cup final at New York-New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., on July 19, 2026. FIFA President Gianni Infantino and former US President Donald Trump jointly awarded the Hercules Cup to Spanish player Rodri. On Sunday local time, the World Cup, the largest and most commercially influential event in history, officially came to an end. Spain defeated Argentina 1-0 in overtime to win the Hercules Cup, football's highest honor. The final was a dull match, with the only goal coming from Barcelona forward Ferran Torres; Argentinian midfielder Enzo Fernandez was sent off for a second yellow card for infringing on Spanish defender Kubalsi. The team fought with ten men for a long time and ultimately missed the championship. Spain won the World Cup for the second time in team history. For the first time, this World Cup final has added a large-scale midfield theatrical show, with global superstars such as Madonna, Justin Bieber, BTS, and Shakira performing on the stage. Due to the stage set-up and removal, the total length of the intermission was extended to more than 27 minutes, which attracted a lot of criticism from commentators and fans. But putting aside the controversy on the field, FIFA is undoubtedly the biggest financial winner of this event. The global football governing body manages the most profitable sports event in history, and according to its own calculations, the total revenue of the 2026 World Cup is expected to exceed US$9 billion. FIFA President Gianni Infantino is the core promoter of this radical commercial expansion plan. World Cup expansion lands in North America North America became the testing ground for the new 48-team format, but the operation of the tournament was riddled with controversy throughout. Statistics from the ticketing data platform TicketData show that the ticket price for this year’s event ranges from US$60 to US$10,000, with the median ticket price exceeding US$900. The issue of high-priced tickets has been criticized by the outside world. Before the game started, the market was generally concerned that high ticket prices would inhibit fans' consumption demand. However, data from Football Benchmark, a football industry data analysis organization, shows that fans’ actual willingness to purchase tickets far exceeds expectations, and demand is very resilient. Antonio Di Chianni, the agency's consulting director, said when he was a guest on "European Business Morning Live" last Friday: "The stadium attendance rate during the group stage was close to full, reaching 99%, which is enough to prove that fans are willing to bear high ticket prices." Booming ticket sales have emboldened Infantino, who has publicly leaked plans to further expand the 2030 World Cup to 64 teams. In an interview with Swiss Blue Sport TV on July 10, he said: "After the World Cup, we will comprehensively evaluate all options related to military expansion." Kieran Maguire, associate professor of football finance at the University of Liverpool, explained that if the 64-team competition system is implemented, nearly one-third of the world's eligible countries will be able to compete on the World Cup stage, and the inclusiveness of the event will be greatly improved. "The World Cup is expected to become the Olympics of football, opening the door to more countries," he said in a telephone interview. Even if the championship honors will only be concentrated in the hands of a few traditional strong teams, more countries will have the opportunity to compete in the World Cup. " Infantino’s deep connection with American politics This World Cup is jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada, and Trump has been deeply involved in events related to the entire event. He has a close personal relationship with FIFA, which is run by Infantino: Last year, Trump fully competed for the Nobel Peace Prize but failed, and FIFA specially awarded him the first FIFA Peace Prize. Trump's 2025 financial filings, released last week, show Infantino gifted him 10 New Jersey tickets last year Tickets to the Club World Cup Final at the Stadium, total value $15,000. A red card incident caused the personal relationship between the two to once again arouse public scrutiny: American men's football player Balogun was suspended for one game after being dyed red against Belgium. Trump personally called Infantino to request a review of the penalty, and the red card suspension was eventually revoked.
Trump explained: "I just felt that the ball was not a foul at all. I didn't even understand what a red card was at the time." Global football funding distribution pattern Putting aside U.S. political dealings, Infantino’s military expansion strategy is welcomed by many football federation member states - FIFA is a non-profit organization, and the revenue generated from the event will be redistributed to each member state for local football infrastructure, forming a cycle system of event commercial income and global grassroots football development. FIFA launched the "FIFA Forward Plan 4.0", planning a four-year cycle from 2027 to 2030, and allocating a total of US$2.7 billion in special funds for football development to its 211 member associations. Maguire added: "Under Infantino's administration, FIFA has sent a large amount of development funds to many small countries, and these countries will also support his re-election in the presidential election vote." 2030 World Cup Preview Looking to the future, the scale of the 2030 World Cup will reach a new level, and FIFA has set aside a special budget of US$6 billion. The tournament coincides with the centenary celebrations of the World Cup, and FIFA says it will be an even more attractive top sports IP for global broadcasters.
Trump explained: "I just felt that the ball was not a foul at all. I didn't even understand what a red card was at the time." Global football funding distribution pattern Putting aside U.S. political dealings, Infantino’s military expansion strategy is welcomed by many football federation member states - FIFA is a non-profit organization, and the revenue generated from the event will be redistributed to each member state for local football infrastructure, forming a cycle system of event commercial income and global grassroots football development. FIFA launched the "FIFA Forward Plan 4.0", planning a four-year cycle from 2027 to 2030, and allocating a total of US$2.7 billion in special funds for football development to its 211 member associations. Maguire added: "Under Infantino's administration, FIFA has sent a large amount of development funds to many small countries, and these countries will also support his re-election in the presidential election vote." 2030 World Cup Preview Looking to the future, the scale of the 2030 World Cup will reach a new level, and FIFA has set aside a special budget of US$6 billion. The tournament coincides with the centenary celebrations of the World Cup, and FIFA says it will be an even more attractive top sports IP for global broadcasters.