Ever wondered what we, as fans, get from the World Cup? As billions of people stay up late into the night to watch matches, buy jerseys, subscribe to streaming services and fill cafés to cheer on teams from countries they have never visited, what do they get in return?

The 2026 FIFA World Cup, jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, is expected to be the largest tournament in football history. For the first time, 48 teams will compete across 104 matches in 16 cities. According to FIFA’s official socioeconomic impact analysis, the tournament is projected to generate $80.1 billion in global economic output, contribute $40.9 billion to global GDP and support more than 823,000 full-time equivalent jobs worldwide.

Football’s biggest tournament is often celebrated for its sporting drama and global appeal. It’s literally called the biggest show on Earth. But less attention is paid to the enormous business that sits behind it. Every goal, sponsorship campaign, television broadcast and sold-out stadium is part of an economic system powered by broadcasters, advertisers, sponsors, tourists and billions of supporters.

Understanding who benefits from that system reveals a different side of the world’s most popular sporting event.

The biggest winner

At the centre of the World Cup economy sits FIFA.

For the 2023–2026 commercial cycle, FIFA expects to generate approximately $13 billion in revenue, with around $8.9 billion linked directly to the World Cup.

The expansion from 32 teams to 48 increases the tournament’s commercial value considerably. More teams mean more matches, more broadcasting inventory, more sponsorship opportunities and more tickets to sell.

According to FIFA and the World Trade Organization (WTO), total event-related expenditure for the tournament will reach $13.9 billion. Tourist spending accounts for the largest share at $7.5 billion, while FIFA’s own expenditure is expected to total roughly $3.8 billion. The average international visitor spends around $400 per day and stays approximately 12 days.

This translates to roughly $5,000 per visitor flowing into local economies.

The governing body occupies a unique position in football’s financial ecosystem. Host nations provide the stadiums, transport systems, security arrangements and public services required to stage the event. FIFA, meanwhile, controls the tournament’s most valuable assets: broadcasting rights, sponsorship agreements, hospitality packages and ticketing revenues.

This model explains why the World Cup remains FIFA’s most lucrative product and why every expansion of the tournament creates significant additional revenue for the organisation.

What do the hosts get?

The 2026 World Cup differs significantly from Qatar 2022.

Rather than building an entirely new sporting infrastructure, the United States, Canada and Mexico already possess most of the facilities required to host an event of this scale. Stadiums, airports, hotels and transport networks are largely in place, reducing the need for expensive new construction.

The United States will host 78 of the tournament’s 104 matches and is expected to account for approximately $11.1 billion of total event-related expenditure.

FIFA estimates that the tournament will generate $30.5 billion in economic output and contribute $17.2 billion to US GDP. According to FIFA, approximately 824,000 jobs worldwide will be created or supported by the tournament, and roughly one-fifth of those jobs are expected to be in the United States.

A tourist attending a World Cup match may have visited the host city at another time anyway. Local residents who spend money on football-related activities may reduce spending on other forms of entertainment.

The benefits are real, but many studies suggest they are often smaller than organisers initially predict.

What is qualification worth?

The financial rewards on offer at the 2026 World Cup are unprecedented. According to FIFA, it has allocated USD 655 million in prize money for the 48 participating teams, a 50% increase from the previous tournament. The champions will receive USD 50 million, while the runners-up will earn USD 33 million. Even teams that fail to progress beyond the group stage will take home USD 9 million.

The scale of these payouts becomes clearer when compared with some of football’s biggest transfer fees. A nation eliminated in the first round will earn more than the transfer value of many international players, while the winners’ cheque alone would rank among the largest annual revenues of several top-flight football clubs outside Europe’s elite leagues.

The expanded format has also made qualification more valuable than ever. Reaching the quarter-finals guarantees USD 19 million, while a semi-final appearance is worth at least USD 27 million. For smaller football nations, those sums can transform entire football ecosystems, funding youth academies, coaching programmes and infrastructure projects for years.

Perhaps the most striking figure is this: the difference between winning the World Cup and finishing second is USD 17 million. That means a single victory in the final is worth more than the entire tournament earnings of a team that reaches the quarter-finals and nearly twice the payout received by nations eliminated in the group stage.

The silent winners: sponsors, broadcasters and clubs

The World Cup economy extends far beyond FIFA and the participating teams.

Global sponsors spend billions of dollars for the opportunity to place their brands alongside football’s biggest event. Few occasions offer access to such a large international audience within such a short period of time.

FIFA estimates that more than 6.5 million spectators will attend matches in person, while billions more will follow the tournament through television and digital platforms.

Broadcasting rights alone are projected to hit $3.8 billion. Sponsorship revenue is forecast at $2.4 billion, a 37% jump from the Qatar 2022 cycle.

Bangladesh and the hidden value of World Cup fandom

So, beyond fan culture and excitement, what’s in it economically for a developing country like Bangladesh?

Bangladesh has never qualified for a FIFA World Cup. Yet every four years it becomes one of the tournament’s most passionate markets.

Argentine and Brazilian flags appear across cities and villages. Social media feeds become dominated by football debates. Millions of supporters stay awake through the night to follow matches taking place thousands of kilometres away.

That passion creates significant economic value.

Telecom operators and streaming platforms are among the first beneficiaries. Millions of Bangladeshis purchase subscriptions or consume additional mobile data to watch matches. Every stream viewed and every gigabyte used contributes to revenues for telecommunications companies and digital platforms.

Broadcasters also benefit from some of the largest television audiences available in the country. BTV bought the broadcasting rights from FIFA for $3.85 million, equivalent to about Tk 47.25 crore. The total cost, however, stands at Tk 63.79 crore, including VAT and income tax.

Advertising rates increase during major fixtures, allowing television channels and online portals to command premium prices throughout the tournament.

Retailers experience a similar surge in demand. Sales of football jerseys, flags and other merchandise rise sharply whenever the World Cup approaches. Sports shops, online retailers and informal vendors all benefit from football fever.

Restaurants, cafés and tea stalls also see increased business as supporters gather to watch matches together. Much of this activity takes place within the informal economy and therefore remains difficult to measure, but it is a visible feature of every World Cup cycle.

Bangladesh’s contribution extends beyond consumption. The country is one of the world’s largest garment exporters, and many football shirts worn by supporters around the globe are produced in Bangladeshi factories. While official export data from Bangladesh for the 2026 World Cup have not yet been released, according to Textile Today, in the 2014 World Cup, Bangladesh exported $70 million worth of products. In 2018, the figure rose to $100 million, according to BKMEA, an increase of 11.43%. For 2022, it reached around $200 million across various buyers.

As we can see, Bangladesh contributes significantly to the World Cup economy. The problem is that very little of that value returns directly to Bangladeshi football.

A single World Cup qualification would change that equation considerably. Beyond prize money and preparation funding, qualification would likely increase sponsorship investment, raise the commercial value of domestic football and attract greater interest from broadcasters and corporate partners.

The final whistle will blow in a stadium thousands of kilometres from Dhaka. The flags will come down slowly from windows and rooftops across the country, and the screens will go dark. But before they do, something is worth holding onto: Bangladesh will have contributed to this tournament in ways that never appear in any official ledger. The jerseys it stitched, the data it consumed, the sleep it surrendered night after night. The World Cup is the biggest show on Earth. The question of who it truly belongs to is still being answered.