Legacy of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America

The 2026 FIFA World Cup, staged across the United States, Mexico and Canada, was the first 48-team edition. Spain defeated Argentina 1-0 after extra time to claim its second men’s title, while Kylian Mbappé won a second Golden Boot with ten goals. The expanded format produced a record 104 matches, and FIFA reported an all-time attendance total of over 6.8 million spectators.

Biggest winners and losers from 2026 World Cup

The event generated “order-of-billions” in revenue, far exceeding the amount FIFA had projected in its own forecasts, according to reporting from the United Kingdom press. All of that cash is slated to flow first to FIFA’s headquarters in Switzerland, leaving no surplus pot for the three host federations to reinvest in domestic development—a sharp contrast with the 1994 tournament, which allocated a dedicated legacy fund for U.S. soccer. The United States Soccer Federation was described as “largely marginalized” in the financial architecture, forced to “work around the edges” to achieve any lasting grassroots impact.

The Guardian

Critics argue that the tournament highlighted a persistent “access problem” for American youth soccer, where high-cost “pay-to-play” travel teams dominate the developmental pathway. The Guardian notes that, despite the spectacle, the competition was “exclusive and inaccessible” for many potential participants, and that the surge in TV ratings has not yet translated into measurable growth in new, low-cost participation.

The Guardian

FIFA President Gianni Infantino framed the tournament as a proof of concept for expansion, emphasizing that the format “can expand without penalty” and that the commercial model “will be rewarded enormously.” He also suggested that the success of the 2026 edition paves the way for future North-American events, including a possible U.S. hosting of the 2038 World Cup, a repeat of the 2029 Club World Cup, and a co-hosted 2031 Women’s World Cup.

The Guardian

• “This World Cup has not just broken all possible records, it has smashed them, it has destroyed every record,” — Gianni Infantino, FIFA president

Biggest winners and losers from 2026 World Cup

Viewership data are uneven. Israeli broadcaster Kan 11 recorded a 40.6 % share (1.576 million viewers) for the final, making it the most-watched World Cup final in the country in nearly three decades. Other outlets cite “rafter of new viewers” in the United States but provide no concrete figures, leaving the scale of the tournament’s domestic audience impact unverified. Likewise, while attendance is reported as a record total, no breakdown by venue or comparison to previous editions is supplied, limiting assessment of regional fan engagement.

The Jerusalem Post

Infantino’s remarks hint at a continued FIFA presence in the region: a 2034 World Cup in Saudi Arabia has already been engineered, and a return to the United States in 2038 is “a strong possibility.” The prospect of hosting the 2029 Club World Cup and the 2031 Women’s World Cup further suggests that FIFA intends to leverage the 2026 legacy to cement North America as a recurring hub for its flagship events. Whether these plans translate into tangible grassroots benefits remains an open question, pending future investment and policy decisions by U.S. Soccer and its North-American partners.

The Guardian