Several of the host venues have invested heavily in renewable energy in recent years. The Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, which will host eight matches, is the first professional sports venue in North America to earn LEED Platinum certification, the highest possible standard for sustainable building design.
Its campus is equipped with more than 4,000 solar panels, capable of generating around 1.6 million kilowatt hours of renewable electricity a year.
ARAMCO: AN OIL GIANT MEETS THE WORLD’ S BIGGEST SPORTING EVENT
In April 2024, FIFA named Saudi Aramco its exclusive Major Worldwide Partner for energy, in a deal reportedly worth US $ 100m per year.
Aramco is one of the world’ s largest integrated energy and chemicals companies, producing millions of barrels of oil daily and responsible for a significant proportion of global fossil fuel output. Its CEO, Amin H. Nasser, has been vocal in arguing that the world should continue investing in oil and gas rather than pursue accelerated phase-out timelines. The company has stated that its partnership with FIFA aligns with its goal of providing reliable energy to communities worldwide.
That said, the deal has attracted significant criticism.
In 2024, Amnesty’ s Head of Economic & Social Justice, Steve Cockburn, said:“ Saudi Aramco, one of the world’ s biggest fossil fuel producers, last year posted the largest annual profit ever made by a company of more than US $ 161bn.
“ Amnesty International has urged that income from Aramco should not be deployed to finance human rights abuses, cover them up, or try and gloss over them through sports washing.”
84 June 2026