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New research shows the World Cup 2026 brand was valued at nearly 4bn

Brand Finance, the worlds leading brand valuation consultancy, found the tournament generated 45bn in "enterprise value". That came from 2bn in sponsorship, yielding a 22-fold return.

The FIFA "brand" for the World Cup finals and qualifying for the biggest tournament in history was almost 4bn, according to new research.

Analysis by Brand Finance, the worlds leading brand valuation consultancy, found the tournament generated 45bn in "enterprise value". That came from 2bn in sponsorship, yielding a 22-fold return.

Sponsors also added an estimated 5.3bn to their combined brand value during the tournament, the longest in World Cup history held in the US, Mexico and Canada.

The research combined Brand Finance's valuation model with sponsorship modelling across 21 official partners. FIFA was the 'ultimate winner' and projected to generate record revenues across the 2023-26 commercial cycle.

[England fans at the semi-final clash against Argentina]

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England fans at the World Cup semi-final clash against Argentina(Image: World Cup 2026 News Pool (WCNP))

The "FIFA World Cup 2026 brand" was valued at 3.8bn, with sponsorship revenue accounting for 1.4bn.

That was the single largest contributor to that value. FIFA's commercial success has been underpinned by expansion.

The 2026 tournament featured 48 teams and 104 matches across 16 host cities. Yet demand from sponsors continued to outpace supply.

Richard Haigh, Global Managing Director at Brand Finance, said: "FIFA has built one of the strongest commercial models in sport. It secures sponsorship revenue upfront, regardless of whether an individual sponsor's campaign ultimately succeeds or falls short.

"Sponsors carry the execution risk, but our analysis suggests many are still generating significant value from the tournament. The more interesting question is what happens next.

[Captain Harry Kane thanks the England fans at their semi-final defeat to Argentina]

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Captain Harry Kane thanks the England fans at their semi-final defeat to Argentina(Image: World Cup 2026 News Pool (WCNP))

"FIFA continues to expand the World Cup and its sponsorship programme, with discussions around a 64-team tournament already emerging. Historically, bigger events have risked diluting sponsor value.

"FIFA appears to have achieved the opposite: every expansion strengthened its commercial proposition.

"At some point, sponsors will inevitably ask where the ceiling is. For now, however, the data suggests FIFA remains uniquely capable of monetising the world's most valuable sporting platform."

England ended their World Cup campaign in style with a thrilling 6-4 victory over France - and a touching display of sportsmanship at the end of the game. Captain Harry Kane and his side were dignified in victory, a total contrast to Argentina's disgraceful behaviour in the semi-final.

France's Kylian Mbappe, 27, scored twice to become the leading World Cup goalscorer in history with 22 goals. England players did not forget the loyal army of fans who had spent a fortune following the team across the United States.

Goalscorer Ezri Konsa, 28, said they reflected on the semi-final defeat, which had been 'painful'. But he added: "We have a special group with special players. We apologise that we could not go that one step further. We hope that we brought some joy back home and to the fans watching here."

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