Fifa has been criticised for not acting responsibly over the climate around its next event, with the 2026 World Cup due to be held across the USA, Canada and Mexico.
The newly expanded World Cup will see the number of participating teams increase from 32 to 48 and from 64 to 104 matches.
Both the USA and Mexico have been hit by extreme heatwaves recently, leading to concern about both the safety of players and the level of carbon emissions.
“In a climate crisis it is quite clearly insane to have a World Cup across that size of area and with that amount of people,” Professional Footballers Association sustainability champion David Wheeler told the publication The Mirror.
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Speaking to BBC Sport Gary Lineker critiqued the approach towards sustainability at the upcoming event, “With the World Cup coming up, you can travel between three countries – three countries which are spread over an enormous area as well.”
“With temperatures soaring around the world as well, it’s going to be really difficult because it’s in the middle of summer and it’s in the northern hemisphere. It’s going to be very hot in parts.”
“We’ve seen wildfires causing problems, massively high temperatures in places that perhaps wouldn’t normally do that.”
“In the next World Cup, if they’re playing in temperatures higher than 40 degrees it makes things incredibly difficult.”
At the last World Cup, which took place in Qatar in 2022, criticism was levied both at the human rights record in the run up to the tournament and the process of building new stadiums, as well as the environmental impact of the tournament.
Sportswashing, whereby those associated with fossil fuels or a poor human rights record, use sport as a means to create a more positive image, has also been a concern across the industry.
