A Record $7.5 Billion Revenue Earned By FIFA For Qatar World Cup

FIFA, the governing body of football, says it has earned an unprecedented $7.5 billion in revenue from four years of commercial deals tied to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

On Sunday, Nov. 20, the earnings which FIFA revealed to officials from more than 200 of its member nations are $1bn more than what the organization pulled in from the previous World Cup cycle leading up to the 2018 event in Russia, Al Jazeera reported.

Commercial deals with this year's hosts boosted the extra income. Qatar Energy has joined as a top-tier sponsor, and Qatari bank QNB and telecommunications firm Ooredoo have joined as new third-tier sponsors. FIFA also added second-tier sponsorship deals from financial platform crypto.com and blockchain provider Algorand this year, marking the organization's first new American sponsor in more than a decade.

Key broadcast deals for this year’s World Cup were signed during Sepp Blatter’s presidency in two-tournament deals for the Russia and Qatar events. They included deals with Fox in the United States and Qatari broadcaster BeIN Sports from 2011.

FIFA pays for organizing committees in host countries, prize money, travel, and accommodation for teams and support staff. It also funds a legacy fund to aid in the development of the sport in the host country after the World Cup circus departs.

The winners of the Qatar World Cup will receive $44m out of a total prize pot of $440m.

FIFA's accounts are organized in four-year cycles around each World Cup. The governing body earned $6.4 billion during the 2015-2018 cycle leading up to the Russian World Cup. It has used that money to help member bodies deal with the uncertainty in 2020 when national team football and World Cup qualifying games were almost shut down entirely.

Because of a new financial strategy for women's football and the expanded 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, the organization's revenues are expected to approach $10 billion over the next four years.

For the 2026 edition FIFA has a nearly blank slate, with top-tier sponsors Coca-Cola, Adidas, and Wanda the only deals currently extended. Separate sponsor deals for women’s football are being signed for the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.