FIFA president Gianni Infantino has doubled down on claims that soccer will become North America’s premier sport.
He previously made similar comments when the host cities for the 2026 World Cup were announced. The sport’s president’s governing body echoed these sentiments on Friday.
Soccer growth in North America
When asked about the growth of the sport on the continent, Infantino was confident. “We are optimistic.
We are convinced of the power of football. We are convinced that soccer will become the number one sport in North America,” Infantino said as he made a face.
“Or maybe number two to start with and then over time,” the FIFA chief continued. “But we are convinced of the power of our game and you know, the more revenue we can generate, the more we can reinvest in the game primarily, in all those zero-income countries that depend on us.”
Along with the growth forecasts for soccer in the area, Infantino also spoke about the possible income from the next men’s tournament. FIFA has projected around $11 billion in revenue for the 2026 World Cup. This would be a 50% increase over this year’s competition in Qatar.
“We are more than optimistic, I think we are convinced that the impact of the game will be massive. It’s been massive here, it’s going to be unbelievable in North America,” Infantino proclaimed.
Revenue growth predictions come down to multiple factors
Since the next World Cup will increase from 32 teams to 48, this would obviously help generate more money. But the FIFA boss also touched on other areas. “More games.
Revenues will increase in terms of broadcasting, in terms of sponsorship, and in terms of ticketing and hospitality,” Infantino said.
“Let’s not forget that we will be playing in big stadiums in North America. Stadiums that are normally used for American football. So 70,000 is almost the smallest capacity.”
“We expect five million, five and a half million fans to travel specifically for these events. And we are convinced that soccer is going to be booming in North America because we will start working immediately.
FIFA will quickly switch attention from the men’s World Cup the day after the current tournament ends on Sunday.
