The fallout from the 2026 World Cup continues to reverberate across the United States, where FIFA’s financial commitments to host municipalities have come under intense scrutiny.
Although the tournament delivered a record $15 billion in earnings through ticket sales, sponsorships and broadcasting rights, the governing body has not transferred the promised $1 million to each of the 11 American host cities, a sum that adds up to $11 million.
New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill has been particularly vocal, stating that FIFA ‘provided $0 for transportation’ and left the state’s transit authority with a $48 million bill, a burden she argues should not fall on taxpayers while the federation posts massive profits.
The dispute intensified over the cost of rail travel for fans, with reports that train fares between New York and New Jersey surged from $12.90 to more than $150, prompting accusations that the host cities were being exploited to subsidize the event’s logistics.
A financial strain on host cities
The financial strain is not limited to New Jersey; cities such as Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle have all reported similar pressures, each having hosted multiple matches at venues like MetLife Stadium, where the final was staged.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who has already been embroiled in a series of controversies, now faces a backlash that could influence the upcoming election, as critics call for greater transparency and accountability in the organization’s dealings with host nations and cities.
While FIFA has defended its transportation plans and claimed to have worked closely with municipalities, the lack of concrete financial compensation has fueled a broader debate about the true cost of hosting a World Cup and who should bear it.
The episode underscores a growing tension between the sport’s global financial ambitions and the practical needs of the communities that open their stadiums and infrastructure to the world’s biggest soccer spectacle.