The World Cup’s expansion to 48 teams in 2026 is setting up FIFA for a major payday.

Soccer’s global organizing body expects to earn $11 billion for the 2023-26 commercial cycle — with an almost 50% raise in income — thanks primarily to sponsorships and media deals for the men’s World Cup.

FIFA reported $7.5 billion in revenue last month for the 2019-22 cycle — $1 billion more than it budgeted.

The 2022 tournament features 64 matches, but it’s unclear how many games will be played in the 2026 edition.

• FIFA’s council agreed to an 80-game format in 2017.
• This year, FIFA officials have suggested a 104-game tournament to avoid two teams colluding to fix the result in a final group-stage game. 

The number of games played will ultimately affect sales to broadcasters, but FIFA has already locked in some of its deals. 

Fox had rights to the 2018 and 2022 tournaments, then extended its deal with FIFA for the 2026 tournament. FIFA also has a media deal with Qatar’s beIN Sports in the MENA region.

Sharing the Wealth

FIFA won’t be the only one bringing in billions from the 2026 World Cup.

A 2018 study by The Boston Consulting Group claimed that the 2026 World Cup would bring an economic impact of $5 billion to North America. After investments for playing facilities and tourism, the figure would end up between $3 billion and $4 billion.

There may be more changes ahead of the USFL’s second season, which kicks off in April. 

Rebooted as a spring professional football league in April 2022 after a three-season run from 1983-85, the USFL has reached a deal on a new three-year collective bargaining agreement with the league’s player reps and parent company FOX Sports.

• The agreement increases the minimum salaries for players to $5,350 per week.
• Previously, the USFL paid players a minimum of $4,500 per week.
• The rival XFL has a minimum player salary of $5,000 per week.
• The USFL’s new CBA includes performance bonuses and 401K contributions. 

In June, USFL players voted to unionize, electing the United Steelworkers as their exclusive bargaining representative to advocate for adequate pay, accommodations, and healthcare benefits. 

Last season, players were required to pay for their own housing accommodations and hotel expenses following the conclusion of team training camps. The USFL’s new proposed CBA would provide players with $400 per week to help offset those housing costs.

Seeking Expansion

It’s currently an eight-team league that played all of last season’s games in Birmingham, Alabama, but the USFL has hired investment bank Allen & Co. to assist in expansion.

The league aims to raise between $150 million and $200 million and wants to play in two-to-four markets outside of Birmingham, each hosting multiple teams.

Major League Pickleball has now chosen cities for its first 12 teams as it gears up for its inaugural season.

The league announced the locations along with the results of Thursday’s 48-player draft, held at Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay Convention Center. 

Each team will comprise two men and two women.

• The West is well represented with three teams in California and two in Texas, plus clubs in Seattle and Cabo.
• The Northeast has star-powered owners, with the New York Hustle owned by LeBron James, Maverick Carter, Draymond Green, and Kevin Love, among others, and Gary Vaynerchuk’s New Jersey 5’s across the Hudson River.
• Milwaukee and Florida round out the first 12 teams. 

The 5’s selected 15-year-old Anna Leigh Waters with the first overall pick.

The league will hold its second-tier Challenger Level draft on Monday, which will form 12 additional teams.

Location Affiliation

While team locations will help establish local identities, they will not determine where teams play or practice during the 2023 season. Instead, the season will be played across six events in five locations in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, and California, with a total prize pool of $5 million.

Team locations could come into play if the league eventually assumes a more traditional format in which each team hosts games.