Climate change is the silent referee of the World Cup

Weather and sports are a lot more closely related than you may think, and the 2026 World Cup could be the greatest example of them all.

The tournament is returning to the United States for the first time in more than 30 years. It will be the most polluting World Cup in history — experts are predicting the games may possibly triple the emissions generated during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

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The new, expanded field includes more teams than ever before, 48 nations playing in 16 stadiums competing in 104 matches across three countries. The magnitude and excitement of the tournament is undeniable, but so is its carbon footprint.

FIFA's Climate Strategy report traces most emissions over the last 15 years to travel. Aviation will be the obvious culprit this summer, as players and millions of visiting fans criss-cross three countries to see their squad's matches in person. But focusing on aviation is only a piece of the emissions pie, how we build our infrastructure and use our energy can often be even more polluting.

This is also true for the World Cup.

Sports and its stadiums are not immune to the impacts of climate change, and can also be contributors to the problem. Cooling, lighting and broadcasting are all huge uses of energy in venues, which can also mean big sources of carbon emissions.

For soccer fields in particular, water used to keep the pitch green can cause extra waste. That's why some stadiums have recently become some of the most innovative examples of climate solutions. Forest Green Rovers in the United Kingdom has become the world's first carbon neutral stadium and has been dubbed the "world's greenest football club." EV batteries, solar panels, even the players' quick-stepping dribbles are some ways stadiums are finding new, cleaner ways to power their matches, and the World Cup puts them on a global stage.

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"That's an exciting opportunity to come together as a group of stadiums," said Andrew Bohenko, the Sustainable Initiatives Manager at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. "We are competitive on the field, we are collaborative off the field."

The stadium is home to several matches for group stage and knockout rounds in the World Cup, including a semifinal. It is the first stadium in the world to earn various certifications for its cleaner energy use and zero waste efforts. The stadium has reduced electricity use by 29% by hoisting 4,000 solar panels on the stadium and the neighboring Georgia World Congress Center next door. Windows bringing in natural light along with views of the city skyline also help cut down on energy use. Bohenko adds "we put a lot of thought and intention on how to mitigate energy use when the building was built."

The sustainability team doesn't keep these green secrets to themselves, "That's something that we really pride ourselves on, is being transparent and leading with inspiration and education so that other people can come into our space, see how we operate…[and] emulate what we do."

Mercedes-Benz Stadium is an active member of the Green Sports Alliance, an organization that unites teams, leagues, venues and colleges to collaborate on environmental sustainability and social responsibility. Sports sustainability summits and even a zero waste playbook allow some of these ideas to be emulated anywhere, like college campuses and convention centers.

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Atlanta's stadium alone sees 3 million visitors a year, a population that generates 5 million pounds of waste. While it typically clogs landfills, zero waste efforts like recycling and composting have now diverted 90% of that waste away from landfills. Landfills are a huge source of greenhouse gas emissions, particularly methane, which is the most potent heat-trapping gas. Recycling paper towels, trapping rainwater for irrigation and cooling, and even growing urban gardens on-site are just some of the out-of-the-box ways Mercedes-Benz Stadium has aimed to reduce its environmental impact.

Levi's Stadium in San Francisco is another host site for the World Cup this summer, and received several awards and certifications for its positive environmental impact. The stadium's use of solar panels, recycled wood, green roofs, farm-to-table menus, and recycling and composting programs all help reduce its carbon footprint.

In Philadelphia, Lincoln Financial Field will host six matches, including frontrunner countries like Brazil and France. The stadium has been promoting its "Go Green" initiative for more than 20 years, which uses 10,000 solar panels to produce 40% of the stadium's electricity. In 2023, the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles became the first professional sports organization in North America to use clean hydrogen fuel in its passenger vehicles. Bohenko says that sustainability initiatives like these are what left them incredibly prepared to host an event as big as the World Cup.

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"We're so dialed in, actually, the pace of the games works exactly in line with how we recover after a game anyway." The existing sustainable infrastructure reduced costs and made it easy to implement some of FIFA's required sustainability initiatives like recycling and food donation. "When you look at those kinds of offsets, the business side of the …broader sustainability initiatives start to pay back when we have these international events."

Sports often feel like our escape from reality. Watching a game on TV or at the stadium is a favorite pastime, a way to destress, decompress and connect with friends and family. It's our safe haven, and one that we often do not consider can be impacted by some of the harsh realities of global crisis. But, made evident by the several examples of stadium resilience, it can also be a part of the solution. Bohenko is excited for future innovation.

"We should be the baseline, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, not be the top outlier."