Madeleine Orr, an assistant professor at the University of Toronto Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education (KPE) specializing in the effects of climate change on the sport sector, spoke to the news agency Reuters recently about the carbon footprint of the upcoming soccer World Cup.
FIFA's decision to hold the 2030 World Cup in six countries with fans flying to over 100 games will increase the tournament's carbon footprint and is at odds with the soccer governing body's climate commitments, experts have warned.
FIFA allocated the 2030 World Cup to Spain, Portugal and Morocco last week but also said Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay would host three matches to mark the tournament's centenary.
After three games in South America from June 8-9, 2030, the tournament then heads to Spain, Portugal and Morocco, which would lead to several trans-Atlantic flights for teams and fans.
It is a stark contrast to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar which had only 32 teams while all 64 matches were played in eight stadiums in and around Doha.
"The big problem is that they're continuously growing the event," said sport ecologist Dr Madeleine Orr, an assistant professor at the University of Toronto, whose research examines the impacts of climate change on the sport sector.
"Every decision that grows the World Cup is going to increase the carbon footprint of the event. That's the unfortunate truth, it's a tradeoff.
"You get growth economically and as a result, you're getting a bigger environmental footprint... FIFA itself have said that they are considering the environment, yet all of the actions suggest otherwise."