⚽ The World Cup is almost here. We’re just two days away from the event that football fans in Egypt and around the globe await with bated breath every four years. While memories of Qatar 2022 still linger as the ideal tournament in terms of timing and fan turnout in the region, the excitement hasn’t waned — especially with Egypt back in the running this year.

This year’s tournament will see matches played across three North American nations. The tournament has expanded its roster to 48 teams, up from 32, which means 104 matches packed into 39 days across 16 cities in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The opening whistle blows on Thursday, 11 June, at 10pm Cairo time, with a clash between Mexico and South Africa at Mexico City’s iconic Azteca Stadium.

FIFA is anticipating a massive financial windfall from this run, projecting the tournament alone could bring in some USD 8.9 bn, pushing the federation’s total revenue for the 2023-2026 cycle to nearly USD 13 bn. Television broadcasting rights are the biggest driver, accounting for roughly USD 4.3 bn. The expanded match lineup means far more content to sell to advertisers and networks. Ticket sales and hospitality packages take the second spot and are expected to surge to USD 3 bn, a massive leap from the USD 950 mn brought in during Qatar 2022, according to The Guardian.

World Cup history 101

The tournament dates back to 1930 in Montevideo, Uruguay, which hosted the inaugural World Cup and went on to claim the title after a tense final against Argentina. Only 13 nations took part in that first edition: Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, France, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Romania, the United States, Yugoslavia, Uruguay, and Argentina.

It was a modest start for an event that has since become the pinnacle of global sports. Back then, players wore blank jerseys without names or corporate sponsors, and the prize itself went by a different name. It was called the Jules Rimet Trophy, honoring the French football federation president at the time. It kept that name until 1970, when it was rebranded as the FIFA World Cup. Today, Brazil holds the most titles with five victories, while Germany’s Miroslav Klose remains the all-time top scorer with 16 goals.

In numbers

With brands aggressively competing for visibility, FIFA expects corporate sponsorship revenues to hit an all-time high for a single-sport event at USD 2.8 bn. Only two regional partnership slots remain open, as FIFA has already locked in all 16 of its premier global sponsorship packages. The roster includes heavyweight brands like Aramco, Adidas, Coca-Cola, Lenovo, Visa, Hyundai, Kia, Qatar Airways, and Bank of America.

Gulf’s in the house: Saudi oil giant Aramco signed a major global partnership with FIFA in April 2024, stepping in as the federation’s primary worldwide partner and exclusive energy supplier. The tie-up — which runs through the end of 2027 and is valued at roughly USD 100 mn a year — secures corporate positioning across marquee tournaments, including the 2026 World Cup and the 2027 Women’s World Cup.

The announcement wasn’t without friction. Over 100 female players signed a petition calling for its cancellation, arguing that Aramco’s operations clash with sporting values centered on environmental sustainability, alongside broader concerns regarding Saudi Arabia's track record on human rights and women’s rights.

Saudi tech on the pitch: Aramco is also partnering with FIFA on the operational tech side, introducing an advanced ranking system that uses data analytics to objectively grade individual player performances after each match.

Glittering figures

FIFA projects that the tournament will inject about USD 40 bn into global GDP and create some 800k jobs. However, many economists are calling their bluff, according to a report by the Financial Study Association in Groningen, Netherlands. History tends to back the skeptics, with research showing that long-term benefits for host nations are usually minimal once the temporary surge in tourism and construction winds down.

The US is set to take the lion’s share of the impact, with an expected USD 17 bn boost to its GDP. Yet that figure represents less than 0.1% of the American economy — especially when weighed against an estimated expenditure of around USD 11 bn. There are also concerns over lower tourist turnout due to strict visa and immigration policies since the return of US President Donald Trump to the White House.

Signs of this hardline approach are already cropping up. Iraqi national team player Aymen Hussein was detained for seven hours at a Chicago airport, where he was questioned and searched. While the Iraqi team’s administrative director downplayed the incident as something that could happen at any airport worldwide, it still sparked onlinebacklash and media scrutiny over how the United States will treat incoming visitors.

Concerns grew further after the award-winning Somali referee Omar Artan was denied entry into the country. Meanwhile, despite all of Iran’s group matches being scheduled in the United States, its delegation chose to base its camp in Mexico to avoid potential diplomatic complications.

As for financial returns elsewhere, Mexico expects to bring in between USD 2.5 bn and USD 3 bn, roughly 0.1% of its GDP. Beverage sales are projected to account for half of that total, which is significantly less than the country spent on preparations. Meanwhile, the Canadian economy is projected to gain around CAD 3.8 bn. However, the steep costs of hosting matches and upgrading stadium infrastructure will eat up a massive chunk of those returns, with Canada expected to spend around CAD 1 bn on the tournament, according to Reuters.

The hidden cost

When the tournament begins, priorities tend to shift. One in five employees admits they would look for a new job if their current workload or manager got in the way of their World Cup viewing experience. Employers are bracing for productivity losses that could top USD 17 bn globally — with USD 11 bn felt in the United States alone — as workers tune into matches or take unscheduled time off during business hours, according to a recent survey of 8k employees across nations like France, Canada, and Australia by HR research firm UKG.

Arab viewers in particular face a tough broadcast schedule, with major matches airing between 10pm and 4am, likely leading to plenty of sleepless nights. This puts local cafe and restaurant owners in a tight spot. While football season is usually a massive revenue driver, expanding hours to cover dawn matches comes with a steep price tag, including late-night labor costs and higher utility bills.

Ultimately, the same question returns every four years: Do the actual returns justify these massive corporate investments, or is FIFA the only real winner outside the pitch? It remains to be seen whether this edition will go down in history for its success or whether Trump’s domestic policies will shift the narrative.