One of the World Cup's biggest sponsors is Big Oil

"Having Saudi Aramco as a major worldwide sponsor of this FIFA World Cup completely undermines any credibility FIFA has, or could have had, around sustainability claims," said Madeleine Orr, an assistant professor of sport ecology at the University of Toronto.

Mohammad Abunayyan, chairman of Acwa Power International, left, Amin Nasser, CEO of Saudi Aramco and Mike Wirth, CEO of Chevron Corp., are on stage during the U.S.-Saudi Investment Forum in Washington last year. (Stefani Reynolds / Bloomberg )

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The cost of Aramco's agreement with FIFA has not been publicly disclosed, but some experts have estimated it to be around $100 million a year for the four-year term.

In a statement to The Times, FIFA, a nonprofit, said the total projected revenue for the 2027 to 2030 cycle will be roughly $14 billion, about 90% of which will be reinvested into the the global game through initiatives supporting its member associations and the continued growth of women's soccer around the world.

"This record level of reinvestment helps ensure [soccer] can be organized and developed in more than 100 countries where it would otherwise not be possible — underpinned by commercial partnerships, including those with global partners such as Aramco," the organization said.

Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA, is shown at a global economic summit this month in Washington. FIFA acknowledges that fossil fuel emissions are heating the planet. (Aaron Schwartz / Bloomberg )

FIFA does acknowledge that fossil fuel emissions are heating the planet, noting in its 2021 Climate Strategy that "one of the main drivers of climate change is the greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere through human activities."

For Aramco, the sponsorship will allow a presence at the most-watched sporting event in the world. The World Cup garnered more than 3 million in-person spectators and 5 billion engagements during the last tournament in 2022, according to the organization. Close to 1.5 billion viewers tuned in to watch the final match.

That could help reposition Aramco as an energy company and not just a fossil fuel one: The company has exclusive sponsorship rights in the energy category and has recently invested in some clean energy projects such as solar, wind and blue hydrogen, although much of that is geared toward decarbonizing its own operations.

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"Aramco is proud to sponsor the FIFA World Cup 2026 through a four year global partnership," the company said in a statement to The Times. "Our FIFA partnership reflects our commitment to provide reliable energy to the world and to inspire progress."

Customers refuel vehicles at a Saudi Aramco gas station in Santiago, Chile, in March. (Cristobal Olivares /Bloomberg )

The deal also builds on Aramco's long-term commitment to advancing soccer, including through its own professional soccer club, Al Qadsiah, the company said. "Our partnership with FIFA will provide an opportunity to extend this commitment and create a lasting, positive impact in communities around the world by promoting [soccer] development at the grassroots level and encouraging youth participation in the sport."

Ricardo Fort, a sports marketing expert who previously led global sponsorship teams at Visa and Coca-Cola, said he doesn't agree that a company's industry should disqualify it from sponsorship deals. It is common practice for state-owned companies in future host countries to sponsor events such as the World Cup or the Olympics, he said. Saudi Arabia is slated to host the World Cup in 2034.

The estimated $400-million sponsorship cost is consistent with the scale of the event, Fort said, adding that it represents a "negligible" amount for such a deep-pocketed company. Aramco reported a net income of more than $104 billion in 2025.

Aramco is probably gauging return on investment "using indicators such as awareness of the company name, reputation of the company, how the brand Saudi Arabia has improved," he said.

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For its part, FIFA officials said the organization is "committed to integrating sustainability in the delivery of the FIFA World Cup 2026, guided by a comprehensive sustainability and human rights strategy that incorporates managing emissions, improving resource efficiency and creating a positive legacy across host communities."

FIFA is requiring all stadiums to achieve sustainable building certifications for operations and maintenance, the organization said. It is also working to reduce the use of diesel generators, increase recycling and cut back on food waste at key sites.

During the tournament, FIFA will deploy hybrid vehicles and encourage public transport, walking and cycling in coordination with host cities and public authorities, officials said. The organization also is collaborating with the Arbor Day Foundation to plant 12,00 trees in the 16 host cities.

But partnering with brands such as Aramco and Coca-Cola — one of the world's largest plastic producers — is "absolutely" at odds with the sustainability credentials of the World Cup, according to Orr, even if soccer isn't the only sport to partner with fossil fuel interests.

"We tend to, as North Americans, point to the gulf region and say they're particularly bad, "Orr said. "But we don't do it when the NBA is sponsored by Chevron, or when the NFL is owned by oil tycoons."

In fact, the current model for event sponsorship was pioneered in Los Angeles during the 1984 Olympics, which was the first to fully embrace corporate sponsors — including Arco, McDonald's and Coca-Cola — as part of its core business model. The move was designed to lessen the costs for taxpayers in the host city, and the L.A. Games were the first to turn a profit in decades.

Still, it's unlikely that FIFA would drop any sponsors until the games are over or their current contract ends, as the penalties for doing so could be steep.

Some athletes don't want people to forget the issue.

In the weeks after FIFA announced its deal with Aramco, more than 130 professional women's soccer players from 27 countries sent an open letter urging it to end the sponsorship due to environmental and human rights concerns.

"This sponsorship is much worse than an own goal for [soccer]," the players wrote. "FIFA might as well pour oil on the pitch and set it alight."

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.