Inside the Business of the 2026 World Cup

In this episode of the California Sports Lawyer Podcast, host Jeremy Evans takes listeners inside the business of the 2026 FIFA World Cup and explains why the tournament has become one of the world's largest sports businesses. While billions of fans are watching the matches, executives, broadcasters, sponsors, host cities, and media companies are participating in one of the most successful commercial enterprises in global sports. Jeremy discusses how FIFA generates revenue through media rights, sponsorships, licensing, hospitality, and prize money while examining the economic impact on broadcasters, advertisers, host cities, tourism, and the growing content economy. The episode also explains how FIFA distributes prize money to participating national football associations and how those funds support player bonuses and football development. As sports, entertainment, media, business, technology, and law continue converging, the FIFA World Cup demonstrates how a global sporting event can become one of the world's most successful business models. Understanding the business behind the tournament provides insight into how value is created, who benefits economically, and why there are two stories to every World Cup: who wins the trophy and how billions of dollars move through the global sports economy. (Season 8, Episode 26). Copyright 2026. California Sports Lawyer. All Rights Reserved. (www.CSLlegal.com) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.