If the World Cup in Qatar is strongly criticized for its disastrous environmental impact, its successor, divided between Canada, the United States and Mexico, does not promise to be more virtuous, in particular by the multiplication of long-distance flights between the places of the competition.
Ecological nonsense, is the World Cup in Qatar only a foretaste of the environmental disaster that its North American successor could augur? The 2026 World Cup, split between Canada, the United States and Mexico, also risks presenting a calamitous carbon footprint.
“The infrastructure we already have in place is the basis for this. North America is home to the largest, greenest and most technologically advanced stadiums in the world,” boasted the United States at the time of the bid. The trio, shunned in 2010 in favor of the Qatari competitor, was preferred in Morocco, “a country on a human scale, an hour’s flight separating the most distant stadiums, […] and with excellent motorway and airport connectivity,” defended himself at the time Moulay Hafid Elalamy, chairman of the bid committee and minister of industry of Morocco.
“More than 4,000 km by plane”
On June 17, Fifa listed the 16 host cities selected by the body. That is eight stadiums more than for this 2022 edition. Some routes, such as Toronto-Guadalajara or Vancouver-Mexico, represent more than 4,000 kilometers by plane. Knowing that the number of participating nations for the coming edition has increased from 32 to 48 and that 80 matches are on the program, instead of 64 in Qatar, should we be prepared for a disastrous carbon footprint?
Especially since sixteen additional delegations, provided they include around fifty people each (staff, doctors, cooks, security, stewardship) – as was the case in France in 2018 – not to mention the hundreds of supporters who will be traveling to support their families means more people to house, feed and transport, and therefore always more CO2 emissions.
“Travel crazy distances”
Gianni Infantino had anticipated certain remarks, in particular those concerning mobility. The boss of Fifa has promised a reflection on the subject. “In a region as large as North America, we have to be mindful of this, to ensure that teams play in ‘clusters’, where fans don’t have to travel crazy distances, just like teams », assured the Swiss leader. Without giving more guarantees.
After this controversy born of Qatar, can we hope for greener World Cups in the future? Not sure: last week, Egypt invented the tricontinental candidacy. According to several local media, the country is in consultation with Greece and Saudi Arabia to present a joint project for the organization of the 2030 World Cup.
