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�?04 Super Bowls in a month�? FIFA chief claims 2026 World Cup to be the biggest sporting event ever, with Super Bowl-level buzz every matchday

�?04 Super Bowls in a month�? FIFA chief claims 2026 World Cup to be the biggest sporting event ever, with Super Bowl-level buzz every matchday

TOI Sports Desk / TIMESOFINDIA.COM / Apr 5, 2025, 05:41 IST

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FIFA President Gianni Infantino claims the 2026 FIFA World Cup will surpass the Super Bowl in viewership, equating it to '104 Super Bowls in a month.' The tournament will feature 48 teams and be held in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. A new Club World Cup will precede the main event, showcasing top football clubs globally.

�?04 Super Bowls in a month�? FIFA chief claims 2026 World Cup to be the biggest sporting event ever, with Super Bowl-level buzz every matchday

Credit: Adobe Stock

The age-old debate between American football and global football (soccer) has long stirred passionate arguments. While the NFL dominates the sports landscape in the United States with the Super Bowl as its crown jewel, the rest of the world pledges allegiance to the beautiful game—football. And now, FIFA President Gianni Infantino has reignited that conversation by comparing the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup to not just one Super Bowl, but �?04 Super Bowls in a month.�?br/>

Gianni Infantino says 2026 FIFA World Cup will feel like watching 104 Super Bowls in just one month

Gianni Infantino’s comments came during an appearance on The Herd with Colin Cowherd, where he made a bold case for the World Cup's global supremacy. “The impact will be global,�?Infantino said. “I mean look at the Super Bowl, which is fantastic. It has what, 120, 130 million viewers, right? The World Cup has 6 billion viewers [over a month of matches], so a World Cup is 104 Super Bowls in a month—which is three Super Bowls a day... This can happen every week if you have the best league in the world.�?br/>

The numbers speak volumes. Super Bowl LIX averaged 127.7 million viewers—a monumental feat by any standard. Yet, the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar pulled in a staggering 5 billion fans across all platforms, with the final between Argentina and France alone drawing 1.42 billion viewers. The average global live audience for the tournament stood at 175 million—higher than the population of most countries.
While the Super Bowl offers a single-night spectacle filled with high-stakes action, star-studded halftime shows, and billion-dollar ad slots, the World Cup delivers 104 games spread across a month. It’s not just a sports event—it’s a global festival. That’s precisely what Infantino is banking on with the expanded 48-team format for the 2026 edition, hosted jointly by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
To warm up American fans for the main event, FIFA is launching the reimagined Club World Cup this summer. Slated from June 14 to July 13, it will feature 32 of the world’s top clubs including Manchester City, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami. Infantino labeled the competition as historic, saying, “The first time there will be a club truly crowned world champion by FIFA.�?br/>Though some critics argue that Infantino’s �?04 Super Bowls�?analogy is laced with exaggeration—especially considering not every World Cup match has the drama of a high-stakes final—the underlying message is clear: no other event rivals the global scope, frequency, and cultural impact of the World Cup.
Also Read: "Football Is for All": Super Bowl champ Khalen Saunders�?LGBTQ-friendly football camp sends a powerful message of acceptance in the NFL
So, while the NFL may rule Sundays in America, the 2026 FIFA World Cup is set to remind the world just how massive football really is. And this time, the biggest show on Earth is coming to America’s doorstep.

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TOI Sports Desk

The TOI Sports Desk excels in a myriad of roles that capture the essence of live sporting events and deliver compelling content to readers worldwide. From running live blogs for India and non-India cricket matches to global spectacles featuring Indian talents, like the Chess World Cup final featuring Praggnanandhaa and the Badminton World Championships semifinal featuring HS Prannoy, our live coverage extends to all mega sporting events. We extensively cover events like the Olympics, Asian Games, Cricket World Cups, FIFA World Cups, and more. The desk is also adept at writing comprehensive match reports and insightful post-match commentary, complemented by stats-based articles that provide an in-depth analysis of player performances and team dynamics. We track news wires for key stories, conduct exclusive player interviews in both text and video formats, and file content from print editions and reporters. We keep track of all viral stories, trending topics and produce our own copies on the subjects. We deliver accurate, engaging, and up-to-the-minute sports content, round the clock.

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