The biggest World Cup on record drew to a close Sunday. Barcelona forward Ferran Torres scored the only goal, and Spain defeated Argentina 1-0 in extra time to claim international football’s biggest prize. In doing so, he secured Spain’s second World Cup title. That is a big win, but the bigger winner from the past few months might be the organization itself. According to CNBC, FIFA is poised to net over $9 billion in revenue for 2026.
The outlet noted that this astronomical number is a result of the organization’s massive commercialization drive. It’s the first time 48 teams have competed on the world stage, up from 32 teams four years ago. This led to 104 matches instead of 64, all scheduled across six weeks rather than four. By adding more games, FIFA has effectively created more content for broadcasters, more tickets for fans, and far more commercial opportunities for advertisers.
