Ranking The 2026 World Cup Host Cities On Sustainability

Given that the World Cup is coming to Vancouver I reached out to a friend who put together the following study which I have divided it up into a three part series.

Enjoy the read

Soccer is the world’s most popular sport with around 3.5 billion fans across the globe. 

Whether attending matches in person or tuning in from their couch, all soccer fans will be captivated when the World Cup kicks off on the 11th of June 2026.

It’s the pinnacle of the sport and a stage to showcase the very best players from around the world. 

Such a major event is also a massive undertaking for the hosts. From first submitting a bid to completing the necessary infrastructure, it can take over a decade. 

One of the foremost considerations of recent tournaments has been making the event more eco-friendly.

It’s a sentiment shared by fans, with 66% believing that more needs to be done to make the sport sustainable. 

That number increases to 88% when surveying younger fans, especially Gen Z. 

The question is whether this year’s 16 host cities, scattered across Mexico, the USA and Canada, are taking sustainability seriously? 

At WSN we have calculated the Eco Score of each city based on six key metrics to find out (go to the end of the article to see our methodology in full).

Host Cities Eco Scores 

The top five cities when it comes to prioritising sustainability at the 2026 World Cup are: 

Here’s a look at who finished at the bottom of our rankings: 

Canada Comes Out On Top

Vancouver came out on top in our investigation with the highest Eco Score of 6.7 out of 10. 

The city surpassed the other hosts when it came to lowering greenhouse gas emissions and preventing air pollution with a score of nine out of ten for both factors. 

Vancouver edged ahead with an impressive 7.3 transport score compared to the next highest of Seattle with 5.6. 

The city produces 95% of its electricity through renewable energy and also has one of the lowest greenhouse gas emissions per capita of any major North American city. 

So, it comes as little surprise that they’re equally committed to minimising the eco impact of hosting the 2026 World Cup. 

Both Canadian cities finished within the top five for Eco Scores with Toronto coming in fourth with 6.1. 

Similarly to Vancouver, it scored highly in our greenhouse gas and air pollution score, but also put in a strong performance in the commitment to sustainability section. 

A lot of effort goes into making the city more environmentally friendly through programs such as the Toronto Green Standard. 

The Green Standard is a set of requirements on sustainability that new private or city-owned developments have to follow. 

It includes rules about transport, reducing pollution and greenhouse gas emissions for building, all of which we considered when scoring Toronto.

Mexico’s Green Host Cities 

You’ll also notice two of the three Mexican host cities appear in the top five, with Mexico City in third and Monterrey in fifth. 

Mexico City and Monterrey score highly when it comes to our waste, greenhouse gas and commitment to sustainability factors. 

From being one of the most polluted cities in the world, Mexico City has transformed into one of the most eco-friendly in the region. 

It boasts strong eco programs focused on reforestation with over 27 million trees and plants planted between 2018 and 2021, and 16 parks across the city rejuvenated. 

When it came to our investigation, that boosted their commitment score and helped to offset pollution. 

We found Monterrey to be committed to eco-friendly design following its framework—the Monterrey Municipal Urban Development Plan. 

It’s helped control the growth of the city, promote sustainable building and rehabilitate the local environment. 

We noted that the cities with the highest Eco Scores had established sustainable practices and approaches they can rely on for the World Cup. For example, 

Monterrey has been the home of the Mexican Green Building Council since 2005. 

The third Mexican host city, Guadalajara, finished in ninth with a score of 5.1, however it did claim the perfect ten out of ten score when it came to greenhouse gas emissions. 

That’s thanks to recent measures like the 2024 introduction of a low emissions zone around the city center and new infrastructure to make the area more walkable that prevent emissions from cars. 

Mexico’s strong performance prompts a question: why does only one American city feature in the top five? 

Sustainability an Afterthought for American Hosts 

Despite the USA having the vast majority of matches, and making up eleven of the sixteen host cities, there’s only one American city in the top five. 

All the non-USA cities come within the top ten, while the American ones dominate the bottom positions.

Stay Tuned – Part Two Saturday April 18th