Is the 2026 World Cup an own goal?
The Inquiry
BBC
4.6 • 1.7K Ratings
🗓️ 17 February 2026
⏱️ 24 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The 2026 men’s football World Cup will be the biggest ever staged. For the first time, 48 teams will compete, playing more than 100 matches across North America.
But the expanded scale comes at a cost. Ticket prices are far higher than at the last World Cup in Qatar. With matches also spread across the US, Mexico and Canada, attending the tournament is becoming unaffordable for many global fans.
FIFA says higher revenues will be reinvested to grow the game worldwide and has released some lower-priced tickets for dedicated supporters, but some fan groups say this isn’t going far enough.
This week on The Inquiry, we’re asking: Is the 2026 World Cup an own goal?
Contributors: Dr Christina Philippou, associate professor in sport finance at the University of Portsmouth, UK Dr Victor Matheson, professor of economics at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, US Dr Johan Rewilak, associate professor of sport management at Loughborough University, UK Miguel Delaney, chief football writer, The Independent newspaper in the UK
Presenter: Tanya Beckett Producer: Matt Toulson Researcher: Evie Yabsley Editor: Tom Bigwood Technical Producer: Cameron Ward Production Management: Phoebe Lomas and Liam Morrey
(Photo: FIFA World Cup Trophy is displayed during the FIFA World Cup 2026. Credit: Pool/Getty Images)
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, radio, podcasts. |
| 0:08.4 | Welcome to the inquiry from the BBC World Service with me, Tanya Beckett. |
| 0:13.7 | One question, four expert witnesses and an answer. |
| 0:21.5 | 2026 marks the staging of the 23rd Football World Cup. |
| 0:26.8 | Held every four years, this year it promises to be a much grander affair than ever before. |
| 0:32.8 | First, it will feature 48 teams, which is 50% more compared to the previous World Cup in Qatar, |
| 0:39.3 | which featured just 32. |
| 0:42.3 | And to accommodate the over 100 matches that will be played, it will be spread across three North American nations, |
| 0:50.3 | the USA, Mexico and Canada. But not only has the number of matches to be played ballooned, |
| 0:58.1 | so have the sums fans will have to pay to get hold of tickets. |
| 1:03.3 | So much so that FIFA, which is organising the event, |
| 1:06.8 | is facing a significant global backlash. |
| 1:10.6 | Fans group, Football Supporters Europe, has called the ticket pricing extortionate. |
| 1:15.8 | This week on the inquiry we're asking, |
| 1:18.3 | is the 2026 World Cup an own goal? |
| 1:25.3 | Part 1. Playing the Game |
| 1:27.8 | The Global Governing Body for Football is called the Federation International de Football Association, or FIFA. |
| 1:49.1 | Founded over a century ago in Paris, hence the French name, |
| 1:56.8 | it moved to Zurich in Switzerland in 1932. Over the years, it's grown to encompass over 200 national associations and is responsible for organising football's biggest tournament. |
| 2:04.0 | Our first expert witness is Dr Christina Philippe, |
| 2:07.5 | an associate professor in sport finance at the University of Portsmouth in the UK. |
| 2:13.7 | She explains the overarching role of FIFA. |
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