FIFA’s plan for the 2026 World Cup is catching heat for a fundamental tension: the organization wants to make more money than ever while also filling more seats than ever. BBC economics editor Faisal Islam laid out the case for why those two goals might be pulling in opposite directions.

The expanded 48-team tournament, spread across the US, Canada, and Mexico, is projected to generate between $3 billion and $7 billion in ticket and hospitality revenue. For context, the 2022 Qatar World Cup brought in $929 million from the same revenue streams.

The asset-light gamble

FIFA is leaning on what’s being called an “asset-light” model, plugging matches into existing NFL venues rather than pouring billions into new infrastructure. That’s a sharp departure from the Qatar playbook, where the host country spent enormous sums constructing purpose-built facilities.

FIFA is deploying dynamic pricing for tickets, a strategy borrowed from airlines and concert promoters where costs fluctuate based on demand. Some tickets will reportedly start as low as $60.

Islam’s analysis flags the risk of a “K-shaped” dynamic. Wealthy fans get access to luxury hospitality packages. Everyone else gets priced out or stuck refreshing a screen hoping for a $60 seat to a group stage match between teams they’ve never heard of.

Blockchain meets the beautiful game

FIFA is rolling out a blockchain-based digital collectible system tied to ticket allocation and resale. The system allows FIFA to retain a 15% cut on secondary market transactions.

Traditional ticket resale has always been a gray market headache for event organizers. By moving resale onto a blockchain-based platform, FIFA captures a slice of every transaction in perpetuity.

Market reactions in the crypto space have been muted so far. No specific tokens or protocols have been publicly tied to FIFA’s blockchain ticketing system, and the broader discourse remains firmly rooted in traditional economics.

What this means for the market

FIFA’s plan to distribute tournament earnings evenly among its 211 member associations adds another layer. If billions flow through a blockchain-based system to football federations worldwide, that’s a non-trivial volume of on-chain financial activity, even if most participants never think about the technology enabling it.

The viability concerns Islam raises about dynamic pricing and empty seats could ironically become the most relevant variable for crypto’s role here. If FIFA struggles to fill stadiums and secondary market activity craters, the blockchain resale system generates less revenue and less transaction data.