The 2018 World Cup is set to generate $6.1 billion in revenue - 10% more than FIFA had estimated for the tournament and $1.3 billion more than the last World Cup produced in 2014 in Brazil, according to FIFA financial documents reviewed by The New York Times.
Revenue from television rights sales was 2% more than FIFA’s $3 billion target, and FIFA’s sponsorship deals generated $200 million more than the $1.45 billion it had projected, largely because of a slew of deals with Chinese companies. Seven of the 20 companies sponsoring the tournament are Chinese, up from just one at the last World Cup.
FIFA also saw a 233% increase in annual royalties last year from EA Sports, the maker of the popular FIFA video game franchise. The company paid FIFA $160 million in 2017.
The matches of the 2018 World Cup will be held between June 14 and July 15 at 12 stadiums located in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Sochi, Kazan, Saransk, Kaliningrad, Volgograd, Rostov-on-Don, Nizhny Novgorod, Yekaterinburg and Samara.
