Latin America Learns World Cup Size Has Outgrown Its Romance

Latin America Learns World Cup Size Has Outgrown Its Romance, highlighting how the 2026 World Cup’s scale and costs may outgrow the model Latin America is expected to host in 2030. Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay will stage the centenary opening matches before the tournament moves to Spain, Portugal and Morocco. The article notes that 2026 will feature 48 teams and 104 matches across 16 host cities in four time zones, with FIFA expecting more than five million in-person attendees versus 3.4 million at Qatar. FIFA projects six billion television, streaming and digital interactions, up from five billion previously. It also cites estimates that average U.S. host-city visitors could spend about $5,400 before flights, far above Qatar’s range of roughly $720 to $2,500. Rising ticket and travel burdens are framed as a warning for 2030 preparations.