FIFA promised each of its 11 American host cities $1 million after the 2026 World Cup. Not one of them has seen a cent.
According to The Athletic, four executives from host city committees have confirmed the payments — described by FIFA President Gianni Infantino as a 'legacy contribution' — have not arrived. Several cities have reportedly reached out to FIFA directly. The response? Nothing.
Taxpayers funded the party. FIFA took the profits.
The optics here are genuinely grim. US taxpayers absorbed the direct and indirect costs of staging the tournament across Seattle, San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Atlanta, Philadelphia, New York/New Jersey, Miami, and Boston. FIFA, meanwhile, pocketed the overwhelming majority of revenue from ticketing, media rights, sponsorship, concessions, and parking.
The $1 million per city was framed as a goodwill gesture — funds earmarked for mini-pitches and community projects. It was a rounding error against what FIFA earned. And they still haven't paid it.
For anyone tracking FIFA's financial dealings or the long-term cost-benefit of hosting major tournaments, this is exactly the kind of outcome that fuels skepticism about whether host nations and cities ever come out ahead. The numbers rarely lie: FIFA collects, the hosts foot the bill.
Ferran Torres: the cap, the goal, the future
Away from the governance mess, the tournament's most talked-about moment belongs to Ferran Torres. The Barcelona forward came off the bench in the final against Argentina and scored the only goal to hand Spain their second World Cup title.
Then he celebrated in a 'Make Spain Great Again' cap — and the internet did what the internet does.
Torres was quick to shut down any political reading of it. "It was a fun moment. Honestly, I don't understand politics. It was simply to have fun with my friends and my family." Hard to argue with a man who just won the World Cup with a substitute appearance.
What's less settled is his club future. PSG are reportedly interested, and given Torres was largely a squad player at Barcelona last season — 21 goals and three assists across 49 games — it's a move that makes sense to explore. A World Cup-winning goal tends to shift a transfer market. His value just went up, and Barcelona may not be the only ones doing the maths.
