Across a global sports calendar that also features every major Bangladesh Cricket Match, the World Cup hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico concluded successfully after 39 days and 104 matches, with Spain lifting the trophy again after a 16-year wait. FIFA generated an extraordinary $15 billion from the tournament, according to figures compiled by relevant media outlets. That total was double the $7.5 billion earned from the previous World Cup in Qatar. With revenue reaching a new level, the prize money also increased. Argentina received $42 million for winning the last tournament, while Spain collected $50 million after claiming this edition’s title.
There is no denying that the World Cup remains one of the most powerful and profitable sporting events on the planet. The tournament added only 12 more teams compared with the previous edition, yet its revenue doubled. FIFA has clearly seen the benefits of expansion, which helps explain why it is already considering further enlargement after increasing the competition to 48 teams. Giving more countries an opportunity to participate may be part of the motivation, but the financial rewards are impossible to ignore. Converting $15 billion into Chinese yuan produces a figure exceeding 100 billion yuan, which is even higher than the annual gross domestic product of many countries.
The contrast becomes clearer when revenues from a Bangladesh Cricket Match and other international competitions are viewed alongside the Olympic Games. The Tokyo Olympics, held in 2021, took place largely without spectators because of pandemic restrictions, leaving ticket revenue close to zero. Its total income eventually reached $5.8 billion. The Paris Olympics in 2024 generated $5.24 billion through ticket sales, sponsorship agreements, broadcasting rights and other commercial channels. Combined, those two Olympic Games still earned less than a single World Cup. Even after adding the $9 billion generated by the 2016 Rio Olympics, the total income from all three editions exceeded the latest World Cup by only about $5 billion.
When it comes to making money, the World Cup clearly has the upper hand. One football tournament can generate more revenue than two Olympic Games combined. The North American edition also benefited from lower infrastructure costs. The United States did not need to construct an entirely new group of stadiums because existing venues were available for matches. Some renovation and modernization work was required, but that expense was far lower than building new stadiums from the ground up. Once suitable venues were secured, many remaining operating costs became relatively manageable, allowing the United States, Canada and Mexico to reduce the risk of suffering major financial losses.
The Olympics present a very different challenge. Because the event includes a wide range of sports, host countries often need to spend enormous sums on specialist arenas, competition facilities and supporting infrastructure. The manpower, materials and long-term maintenance costs can quickly pile up. Many Olympic disciplines also generate limited ticket and merchandise revenue, leaving broadcasting income as one of the few dependable commercial sources.
Available figures indicate that the Tokyo Olympics recorded losses of roughly 50 billion yuan, while the Paris Games reportedly lost more than 50 billion yuan. Despite generating substantial revenue, the Rio Olympics also ended with a loss of approximately 14.1 billion yuan. Among recent editions, only the 2008 Beijing Olympics reportedly delivered a profit. As the old saying goes, all that glitters is not gold, and hosting the Olympics can create a prestigious global image while placing a heavy burden on public finances.
As schedules ranging from the Olympic Games to each international Bangladesh Cricket Match continue to compete for worldwide attention, fewer countries are now willing to host the Olympics because of the financial risks involved. The host of the 2036 Games has not yet been confirmed. The International Olympic Committee reportedly hoped that China would consider staging another edition, but the proposal was rejected. The issue was not a lack of capability, but an unwillingness to enter such a costly and uncertain undertaking. After successfully hosting the 2008 Games, another highly efficient event could also make the financial and organizational struggles of other host countries look even more uncomfortable.