Three weeks into the World Cup, the real action is beginning.
The tournament’s new format this year, with an expanded 48-team field in group play, meant that 32 countries advanced to the knockout stage this week—double the number from the previous ten editions of the event. But the stakes have ratcheted up, with mighty Germany and the Netherlands now eliminated from contention.
Underdogs Paraguay and Morocco, meanwhile, are among the nations that have punched their tickets to the round of 16, still eyeing a spot in the final on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Of course, for the purposes of this World Cup, that venue has been rebranded as New York New Jersey Stadium—more on that later.)
The numbers game doesn’t stop there. Here are 22 figures that help tell the story of the 2026 World Cup so far—and of the 25 games to come.
2
The number of billionaires playing at this World Cup.
Forbes recently estimated the net worth of Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo at $1.2 billion, and of Argentina’s Lionel Messi at $1.1 billion. Only two other athletes—Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James and golfer Tiger Woods—have joined the Forbes list of the world’s billionaires while still active in their sports. With an estimated $300 million in total earnings over the past 12 months (before taxes and agent fees), the 41-year-old Ronaldo also ranks as both the highest-paid player at the World Cup and the world’s highest-paid athlete.
3.43%
The tax imposed on nonresidents for income earned in Philadelphia.
Participants at this World Cup will have to navigate a thicket of complicated tax issues at the local, state and federal levels, with matches being held in 16 cities across three countries (the United States, Mexico and Canada). For players, coaches and even referees, income can be tied to the place where the work is performed, meaning they could be subject to a 3.43% tax in Philadelphia, which will host a round-of-16 game on Saturday. Kansas City, Missouri, which will host a round-of-32 game on Friday and a quarterfinal next week, similarly applies a 1% tax to nonresidents’ income earned there.
Erling Haaland narrowly trails Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé in the tournament’s scoring standings, with five goals through Norway’s round-of-32 victory over Ivory Coast.
Tom Weller/Picture Alliance/Getty Images
6
The number of goals scored by the tournament’s leaders so far.
Argentina’s Lionel Messi and France’s Kylian Mbappé are tied for the lead as they seek the World Cup’s Golden Boot—given to the top scorer—followed by Norway’s Erling Haaland with five goals. Mbappé is now the favorite to claim the honor at both DraftKings (-110 odds) and FanDuel (+100).
6
The number of World Cups in which Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have played.
The two superstars, so often compared, both made their debuts at the 2006 tournament in Germany and now jointly hold the record for World Cup appearances. (Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa has also been selected for six World Cup teams, but he didn’t make it into a game in 2006 or 2010.) Messi has played in 29 World Cup matches across his career, four more than Ronaldo, but only Ronaldo has had a goal in each of the six tournaments—Messi was held scoreless in 2010.
10
The number of consecutive games the U.S. has lost against European opponents.
The Americans, whose losing streak dates to 2022 and includes friendlies in addition to World Cup games, have an opportunity to end the slide on Wednesday against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Even if they prevail, however, they could face Belgium in the round of 16, followed by a potential quarterfinal matchup with Spain or Portugal.
16
The number of consecutive World Cup games in which the Netherlands is unbeaten in regular or extra time.
Since falling in the 2010 final, the Dutch have not lost outside of penalty shootouts, a record streak. But it is an important caveat: The Netherlands did lose on penalties in the 2014 semifinals and 2022 quarterfinals and was similarly ousted by Morocco in the round of 32 on Monday in one of the biggest upsets of this year’s tournament.
19
The number of goals Lionel Messi has scored at the World Cup across his career.
Messi tied the record of 16—set by Germany’s Miroslav Klose in 2014—with a hat trick in Argentina’s opening game this year and added two goals six days later, plus another on Saturday. The 39-year-old Argentine legend has improved with age: He had six goals in his first 19 games in the World Cup but has scored 13 in his last ten games at the competition, dating to 2022. His record is already under threat, however. Kylian Mbappé has scored 18 goals in 18 World Cup games for France, and he is only 27.
31
The number of miles Paraguay midfielder Andrés Cubas has run at this World Cup.
According to the fitness tracking app FIFAphy, that figure, spanning four matches, leads all players at this year’s tournament. Even goalkeepers run more than two miles a game at the World Cup. FIFAphy also tracks speed and has clocked star French forward Kylian Mbappé sprinting at 23.4 miles an hour, the best mark this year.
+180
The odds that France will win the tournament, according to FanDuel.
Les Bleus’ odds are just a bit longer at DraftKings, at +190. France, the betting favorite since before the tournament began, leads all World Cup rosters with an estimated market value of $1.7 billion on Transfermarkt and will next play on Saturday against Paraguay. (France was also the birthplace of 98 players competing at this World Cup—with 76 of them representing other nations.)
$32,970
The face value of premium tickets to the World Cup final that were released in May.
The price was triple the $10,990 cost of comparable tickets that had been previously released—and up from $1,607 for the top end of the range at the 2022 final in Qatar—but even that might prove a bargain next to the prices on FIFA’s resale website. One seller listed four seats in Section 124 for the July 19 final for $2.3 million each in April, and the cheapest tickets for the final are now nearly $11,000 on the resale market. (FIFA will take a 15% fee from the buyer of any ticket on the website as well as a 15% fee from the seller.)
In addition to standard tickets, hospitality provider On Location is offering on-field seating that starts at $1 million for a group of 12, as well as 24-person suites that begin at $1.44 million and an opportunity to be on the pitch for the trophy presentation for $600,000 per person.
Beyond the ticket prices, fans are having to pay up for parking (reportedly as much as $300 per game in Los Angeles), hotels (about 50% more expensive on match days), concessions (with beer at some sites costing $20 or more) and public transit ($98 for a round-trip train ticket from New York’s Penn Station to the stadium in New Jersey). Fans can also spend $79—plus tax—to have their names appear on stadium video boards through FIFA’s “Super Shoutout” program. With those sky-high prices, some group-stage matches appeared to have far emptier stadiums than the official attendance numbers would suggest.
500,000
The approximate population of Cape Verde.
The African island nation is the smallest country by population ever to reach the knockout stage at the World Cup. Cape Verde finished group play with draws against Saudi Arabia and powerhouses Spain and Uruguay but will have to face Argentina in the round of 32 on Friday.
The World Cup Trophy stands 14.5 inches tall and contains nearly 11 pounds of 18-karat gold.
Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press
$713,000
The approximate value of the gold in the World Cup trophy.
LSEG, the data firm that owns the London Stock Exchange, explains that the run-up in the price of the precious metal means that the nearly 11 pounds of 18-karat gold in the trophy is worth more than two and a half times as much as in 2022. The trophy, which stands 14.5 inches tall, spends most of its time at the FIFA Museum in Zurich.
18 million
The average viewership on Fox for the United States’ opening victory over Paraguay.
It was a record audience for an English-language American telecast of a men’s game. Telemundo and Peacock also made history for a Spanish-language broadcast with a total audience of 13 million for the tournament’s first game, in which Mexico took on South Africa. As of June 21, World Cup matches were averaging 5.9 million viewers on Fox and 5.5 million on Telemundo, more than double the figures from 2022, although the numbers may be somewhat inflated by changes to Nielsen’s measurement methodology. Globally, viewership across the tournament’s 104 games is expected to surpass the 5 billion posted by the last World Cup, when nearly 1.5 billion tuned in for the final in Qatar, and this year’s championship game could draw as much as 7% of the world’s internet traffic, according to Bank of America.
Because of FIFA rules, MetLife Stadium has been renamed New York New Jersey Stadium for the tournament, and sponsor signage has been removed or covered up.
Daniela Porcelli/Getty Images
$19 million
The approximate amount that MetLife is paying for the naming rights to MetLife Stadium this year, according to Forbes estimates.
The New York-based insurance giant has a 25-year deal worth more than $425 million with the home of the NFL’s New York Giants and Jets, which will host the World Cup final on July 19. However, FIFA demanded that stadiums remove or physically cover up their existing sponsor signage for the summer, meaning MetLife Stadium was renamed New York New Jersey Stadium. (The only exception is the massive Mercedes-Benz logo on the roof of the stadium in Atlanta, which couldn’t be concealed without risking damage to the building.) The FIFA directive led to a marketing stunt by Levi’s—which changed its logo on its social media accounts to match the white tarp covering its sign at the stadium in Santa Clara, California—but the requirements also extend beyond stadium walls. According to the Athletic, host cities are not allowed to use the sponsored venue names on road signs or in press releases.
$50 million
The prize money available for the team that wins the World Cup.
All 32 teams that qualified for the knockout stage are guaranteed to receive at least $11 million, and the 16 that didn’t make it out of the group stage will still pocket $10 million each. Factoring in the money provided to help cover teams’ preparation, delegation and ticketing costs, the total FIFA pot is $871 million, up from the $440 million prize money pool for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The cash is paid to the national federations, rather than to players directly, but U.S. Soccer’s 2022 collective bargaining agreement with the men’s and women’s national teams specified that the governing body would pool the winnings from the 2026 World Cup and the 2027 Women’s World Cup, keep 20% for itself and then split the remaining 80% among the players from the two squads.
$57.8 million
The tax money that Florida, Georgia and Missouri are reportedly forgoing on World Cup ticket sales.
The three states’ own calculations around their tax waivers pegged the lost revenue at a combined $40.2 million, but the Athletic’s analysis found that they had understated the impact of the exemptions for games in Miami, Atlanta and Kansas City. The states and cities made the concessions in 2022 as part of their bids to be selected as World Cup hosts by FIFA.
$221 million
The amount that FEMA distributed to the U.S. cities and states hosting matches and training camps to help protect against drone threats.
In the first two weeks of the tournament, Transportation Security Administration agents and their partners seized more than 300 drones near World Cup venues across the U.S., the agency said. (On game days, drones are not allowed to be within three nautical miles of the stadiums, and operators who violate the rules face criminal charges and fines of up to $100,000.) The Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, also doled out $625 million to bolster the host cities’ security and cybersecurity preparations.
$250 million
The minimum amount Fox Sports is expected to generate from commercials airing during “hydration breaks” at the World Cup.
Each game this year features two three-minute stoppages that are ostensibly designed to give players some relief from the summer heat, but broadcasters have capitalized on that time in a sport where the action is otherwise continuous. According to the Hollywood Reporter, 30-second spots during games are generally running between $200,000 and $750,000, meaning that the 624 minutes of hydration breaks across the 104 games of the 2026 World Cup could be worth more than $500 million. That figure alone would be more than the $485 million that Fox reportedly paid for the rights to the tournament, and there is still the possibility of a deep run by the U.S. men’s national team that sends ad rates skyrocketing.
$250 million
The amount FIFA is giving to clubs whose players participate in this summer’s World Cup.
The payments—expected to cover at least $5,000 per player per day—are part of the FIFA Club Benefits Program, which also gave $100 million to professional teams whose players participated in World Cup qualifiers.
$3.8 billion
FIFA’s budget for this World Cup.
The figure, laid out in the organization’s 2024 annual report, includes $1.1 billion for FIFA’s operational expenses, such as $159 million for event transport and $23 million for referee services. That number, however, does not include the costs being shouldered by local, state and federal governments, with the Athletic reporting that the host cities were each spending upwards of $100 million to accommodate the tournament. Kansas City, for instance, set aside $25.8 million in taxpayer money for a temporary jail to deal with rowdy visitors—but it wasn’t built in time for the tournament. Jackson County, meanwhile, allocated $42.5 million in state funding to renovate Arrowhead Stadium, which the NFL’s Chiefs are set to abandon within the next five years.
$5.4 billion
The World Cup betting volume on Kalshi and Polymarket through the tournament’s first week.
Kalshi’s trading volume of $2.9 billion that week exceeded the amount bet on March Madness and the Champions League, Fortune reported, and the total was approaching $10 billion by the end of the tournament’s second week. Ahead of the World Cup, research firm Eilers & Krejcik Gaming projected that $4.4 billion would be wagered with online sportsbooks in the U.S. during the tournament, up from $1.8 billion in 2022.
$13 billion
The revenue that FIFA expects to have generated across the four-year cycle ending with this World Cup.
Of that total, almost $9 billion would be from 2026, including $3.9 billion from broadcasting rights and more than $3 billion in hospitality rights and ticket sales, according to projections in the organization’s 2024 annual report. By comparison, the four-year cycle of the 2022 Qatar World Cup brought in a record $7.6 billion in total revenue, according to FIFA, and the International Olympic Committee generated $4.4 billion in commercial revenue in 2024, coinciding with the Paris Summer Games, the IOC said in its annual report that year.
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