Organized for the first time in three countries and with a new format of 48 teams, the 2026 World Cup marks a major economic breakthrough. Behind the increase in the number of matches, Fifa is evolving its advertising model by relying on tech giants, artificial intelligence and digital platforms to generate new sources of revenue.
The 2026 World Cup will be one of all records. Organized at United Statesau Canada and at Mexicoit will bring together 48 teams and will include 104 matches, compared to 64 during previous editions. That’s almost 65% additional content to monetize. For decades, Fifa’s business model was based on three pillars: ticket sales, television rights and income from traditional sponsors thanks to advertising panels around the pitches. This model remains current, but it is evolving quickly to adapt to a competition that has become larger and more expensive.
This transformation is reflected in particular by the arrival of new partners from technology. Lenovo, Google, TikTok or even YouTube are no longer content with buying visibility. They also provide digital infrastructure, technological services and artificial intelligence tools which directly participate in the functioning of the competition.
The decryption of Aurélie Dyèvre, general director of Sporsora, economic association of sports stakeholders
Sponsors who no longer only sell their image but also their technologies
Today, paying several million euros to display your logo for 90 minutes around a field is no longer enough. Technology companies are now looking to offer services that improve the experience of spectators and organizers. The example of Lenovo perfectly illustrates this evolution. For the 2026 World Cup, the group is deploying nearly 10,000 pieces of IT equipment and mobilizing several hundred engineers to support the organization of the event.
For Fifa, this strategy has a double advantage. On the one hand, these companies help finance the biggest football competition in the world. On the other hand, they make it possible to create new sources of income linked to digital uses which did not exist just a few years ago. The habits of consumption have changed profoundly. Supporters no longer just watch a match on television. They comment on actions on social networks, consult live statistics on their smartphone or watch replays on TikTok. This multiplication of screens opens up new commercial opportunities for advertisers and for Fifa.
The supporter becomes an economic data and each content can be monetized
This evolution also transforms the role of the spectator. It is no longer just an audience, but becomes a source of data allowing advertising campaigns to be personalized. Thanks to ultra-personalization, advertisers can target much more precisely the consumers who interest them. A young Senegalese fan, for example, will be able to receive advertisements on his phone adapted to his region, his consumption habits or his centers of interest, even if he is watching the same match as a European or American supporter.
Basically, a 90-minute football match is no longer the only product being marketed. It becomes the starting point of a much larger ecosystem where each video clip, each slow motion, each publication on social networks or each content broadcast before and after the meeting can generate income. Fifa’s revenue therefore no longer comes only from the television channels which broadcast the matches, but also from the digital platforms which exploit the extracts and associated content.
The objective is clear: increase competition revenues by responding to new consumer habits and seeking value where the public’s attention is now found. The 2026 World Cup could thus mark football’s definitive entry into the digital platform economy, where data and user experience become almost as important as the spectacle on the pitch.
/2026/06/19/6a35acd55a7e0551365632.jpg "Les Etats-Unis simposent face à lAustralie et seront au rendez-vous des seizièmes de finale de leur Coupe du monde")
