FIFA’s foul, irresponsible, farcical and absurd approach to the climate

Carbon Market Watch condemns FIFA's hosting decisions for the 2030 and 2034 World Cups, asserting that the events will cause severe environmental damage. The organization highlights the failure of the 2022 Qatar World Cup's carbon neutrality claims and warns that the 2030 tournament's multi-continental structure and Saudi Arabia's 2034 bid—which includes building 11 new stadiums—will lead to massive emissions from construction and air travel. The statement also links these decisions to the influence of polluting corporate sponsors like Aramco and raises concerns over migrant worker deaths in host nations.

• The 2022 Qatar World Cup's carbon neutrality claims were deemed greenwashing by Carbon Market Watch and the Swiss advertising regulator, which ordered FIFA to stop using the term. The tournament's estimated emissions of 3.8 million tonnes were considered understated, as organizers used 'dubious calculations' and 'creative accounting' for construction, accounting for only 0.8 million tonnes of CO2 while Carbon Market Watch estimated up to 1.6 million tonnes.
• The 2030 World Cup is expected to have a high carbon footprint due to its geographic distribution across three continents (Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay), which will significantly increase air travel emissions. This occurs despite the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global temperature rises to 1.5°C.
• The 2034 World Cup in Saudi Arabia is projected to have a massive environmental impact because it involves building 11 new stadiums, including one in the yet-to-be-built megaproject city of Neom.
• FIFA's decision-making is influenced by wealthy, polluting corporate partners and states, specifically citing the Saudi Arabian oil company Aramco, which produces one in every eight barrels of the world's oil supply.
• The hosting of World Cups has been linked to severe human rights abuses and worker fatalities, with an estimated 6,500 migrant worker deaths in Qatar and allegations of 21,000 deaths related to 'Saudi Vision 2030' in Saudi Arabia.

APA

Mair, G. (2024). FIFA’s foul, irresponsible, farcical and absurd approach to the climate. Carbon Market Watch. https://carbonmarketwatch.org/2024/12/20/fifas-foul-irresponsible-farcical-and-absurd-approach-to-the-climate/

Chicago

Mair, Gavin. FIFA’s foul, irresponsible, farcical and absurd approach to the climate. Carbon Market Watch, 2024. https://carbonmarketwatch.org/2024/12/20/fifas-foul-irresponsible-farcical-and-absurd-approach-to-the-climate/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Mair |first1=Gavin |title=FIFA’s foul, irresponsible, farcical and absurd approach to the climate |publisher=Carbon Market Watch |date=20 December 2024 |url=https://carbonmarketwatch.org/2024/12/20/fifas-foul-irresponsible-farcical-and-absurd-approach-to-the-climate/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{mair2024fifas, author = {Mair, Gavin}, title = {{FIFA’s foul, irresponsible, farcical and absurd approach to the climate}}, publisher = {Carbon Market Watch}, year = {2024}, month = dec, url = {https://carbonmarketwatch.org/2024/12/20/fifas-foul-irresponsible-farcical-and-absurd-approach-to-the-climate/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }