Today, football (soccer) is at the forefront of global entertainment. Billions of people watch the matches of some teams on television. Football even has an influence on global politics and economics. The interest shown in, or the meaning attributed to, matches between warring countries goes beyond the realm of sport. Some countries’ teams can be banned from international tournaments for political reasons. Furthermore, some countries may even boycott certain international tournaments as a form of political protest.

The 2026 World Cup, to be held in the USA, Canada, and Mexico in June-July and featuring a total of 48 countries, is poised to be the biggest tournament in history in terms of its economic value. However, for the first time, the World Cup is preparing to be played in an atmosphere of hot war, which has the potential to create an increasingly large global crisis. If the hot war launched by the US and Israel against Iran does not end by that date, it is difficult to predict its possible effects on the tournament. Because we live in an unpredictable world where anything can happen at any moment.

Let’s begin our article by giving some examples of the economic impact of the World Cup, which will be held between June 11 and July 19, 2026;

The first live broadcast of a World Cup match took place at the 1954 FIFA World Cup in Switzerland. In previous tournaments, TV technology was not yet widespread; broadcasts were primarily radio-based. At the 1954 World Cup, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) distributed nine matches live to eight European countries for the first time. Note that the total amount paid to the Swiss Football Federation for these broadcasts was approximately US$2,500. For the broadcasting rights of the 1962 World Cup in Chile, approximately US$75,000 was paid.

The expected revenue from the broadcasting rights of the 2026 World Cup is between 3.9 and 4.3 billion US dollars. Moreover, the revenue is not limited to this. An additional 2.8 billion US dollars is expected from sponsorships, and 3 billion US dollars from ticket and accommodation sales. Furthermore, FIFA aims to generate a massive 11 billion dollar activity in the advertising market for the 2026 World Cup.

The 2026 World Cup is expected to be the most profitable tournament for FIFA. It is also projected to provide tens of billions of dollars in stimulus (triggering effect) to the North American economy. Here are a few more examples of the overall economic impact of the World Cup (according to FIFA-WTO and OpenEconomics reports):

• Global gross economic output: $80.1 billion.

• Contribution to global GDP: $40.9 billion.

• Total expenditure: approximately $13.9 billion (tourist spending, infrastructure, operations).

Let’s share another striking figure: the total market value of the footballers participating in the 2026 World Cup (48 teams) is approximately 16.11 billion Euros (according to Transfermarkt data, as of May 2026). The average player value is 13 million Euros. We are talking about a massive, human-centered economy.

Let’s look at the potential impact of the ongoing war on the World Cup:

Iran, one of Asia’s strongest football teams, had a smooth World Cup qualifying process and was one of the first countries to qualify for the finals. Iran will play its first World Cup match against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15th. However, security, visa issues, and ongoing political tensions remain major dynamic problems. US President Trump said, “They are welcome, but it may not be safe for them.” There is speculation that some members of the Iranian team and delegation may face visa problems.

It is also unclear how other countries will react if Iran is unable to participate in the tournament, either due to the intensifying impact of the Gulf War or other obstacles. Moreover, it is unknown what new, unforeseen global problems related to the war might arise while the tournament is underway.

Sport is one of the important activities that has the potential to unite masses and nations around a common purpose. Focusing on the potential contributions of sport to peace, rather than the tensions that politics might create in sport, should be an important step for humanity.

It would be in humanity’s best interest to move beyond viewing sport as an area where the negative effects of politics are felt earliest and instead consider it a tool whose contribution to peace should be seized at the first opportunity.

I hope we experience a smooth World Cup process. Because humanity needs shared joys and celebrations.

Written by Prof. Dr. Osman OZSOY