Few of us who’ve watched the heroics, low points, and the controversy of the FIFA World Cup over the past few weeks will have seen it as a high bar for a sustainable sports tournament.
Games delayed by erratic weather, the now notorious hydration breaks in the searing summer heat, and the air miles of both teams and fans have combined to show that this year’s contest has seemingly been more challenging to stage than the ones before – often with a spotlight on the negative impact.
This was not FIFA’s plan.
Much had been made of the use of existing stadiums rather than new builds, of commitments to reducing water usage, and of the intention to minimise waste. Even team kits have been recycled. The plan also included long-term goals of halving World Cup emissions by 2030, and net-zero by 2040.
Has the FIFA World Cup been sustainable?
Despite their well-intentioned statements, there have been reports that emissions from the tournament would actually double. The BBC also zoned in on FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s extensive flight time to and from matches across three large countries, tracking his private jet transfers in intricate detail.
“Infantino's travel is believed to have produced roughly the amount of [Carbon Dioxide Equivalent] CO2e in just over a fortnight as about 78 people might produce across a calendar year,” said the BBC.
However, carbon emissions are only one of his behavioural and reputational problems, given the widespread media coverage this week following his conversation with Donald Trump about revoking a US player’s suspension – with the striker then playing. His nation was thumped 4-1 by Belgium.
Whatever your view on FIFA’s actions on that front (and most people’s seem to be fairly consistent), the organisation seems to have set itself up for a fall with its sustainability commitments around staging the World Cup, and has remained publicly unrepentant since stories to the contrary emerged.
What has ultimately impacted the World Cup's sustainability goals?
In covering the concerns about emissions recently, TIME pointed out that international sporting events provide a platform like no other to showcase sustainable change. “Global sporting competitions like the World Cup could, however, be the perfect chance for cities to make climate-forward investments that pay off even beyond the games – if they're willing to seize the opportunity. Paris, for example, used the 2024 Olympics as an excuse to update the city’s infrastructure – and reserved tickets for local residents to reduce the amount of out-of-town visitors,” it said.
That may end up being FIFA’s biggest own goal this year, beyond anything that happened on the pitch or on the phone between presidents. Ultimately, the relatively piecemeal sustainability gains that have been made on the ground by cities, versus by those staging the tournament, seem to have been mostly limited by those in charge.