史上规模最大的世界杯正使球迷、球员和主办城市承受极限压力，专家指出这仅是开端。
The biggest World Cup ever is pushing fans, players, and host cities to their limits—and experts say this is only the beginning.
人们常说“越大越好”，而今年的国际足联世界杯或将对此提出考验。从几乎任何指标来看，2026年赛事都堪称史上规模最大的一届：主办国数量最多；场馆之间距离最远；参赛球员、球队与比赛场次最多；此外还有令人咋舌的门票价格。如此庞大的规模，对球迷、参赛队及主办城市而言，均构成严峻的后勤挑战。本届赛事将在三个国家——加拿大、墨西哥和美国——联合举办，48支参赛队（较往届常规的32支有所增加）需在横跨数千英里、涵盖四个不同时区的16座主办城市间辗转。国际足联扩大赛事规模，旨在捍卫足球在全球体育格局中相对于诸多新兴竞争性运动的主导地位；专家向《WIRED Middle East》指出，未来唯有最富裕或国土面积最大的国家才可能单独承办此类赛事。 本届赛事高昂的观赛成本已引发全球关注。国际足联被指通过为除最不理想座位外的所有票档设定畸高票价，将普通民众拒之门外。行业数据显示，加拿大、美国和墨西哥各主办城市的酒店房价亦同步飙升。“在美国主办城市，人均观赛平均支出已突破5000美元，此数字尚未计入场馆间往返机票费用。”卡塔尔哈马德·本·哈利法大学体育管理学助理教授克里斯托斯·阿纳格诺普洛斯（Christos Anagnostopoulos）表示。预计普通访客在美国的总花费约为5400美元，远高于2022年卡塔尔世界杯期间访客720至2500美元的支出水平。 本届赛事的交通安排，与卡塔尔单城办赛模式或2018年俄罗斯世界杯（当时提供免费公共交通及额外500列火车以便利出行）截然不同。由于地理跨度巨大，球迷与球队唯一可行的交通方式是航空运输，多家航空公司已增开航班以满足潜在世界杯旅客需求。“如今，球队与球迷必须考虑的是航班而非地铁通勤，其带来的碳排放与经济成本真实且显著。”阿纳格诺普洛斯指出。仅需预订航班而非火车或出租车这一变化，也可能抑制酒店需求，原因在于部分人群难以承受高昂的旅行开支。“美国多家酒店已报告预订量低于预期。”阿纳格诺普洛斯表示，“规模本身并不能确保观众如期到场。” 对于主办方与主办城市而言，赛事规模要求投入巨额安保资源，包括应对此前历届主办国几乎未曾设想过的新型威胁。赛事体量之大及其跨国属性，进一步推高了总体成本。“挑战不仅在于所涉系统数量之多，更在于这些系统能否高效实现信息互通。”他补充道。 数据揭示了一项正因自身雄心而承压的赛事：目前尚不清楚上述巨额投入能否转化为可观的门票销量与广告时段销售收益。那么，国际足联为何仍不惜一切代价追求扩张？据国际SKEMA商学院体育与地缘政治经济学教授西蒙·查德威克（Simon Chadwick）分析，原因或许在于其他体育项目日益加剧的竞争压力。增加参赛队伍意味着需拓展球员与球迷空间，同时也意味着更多观众与更高门票收入。国际足联预测，本届赛事在电视、流媒体及数字平台上的总触达人次将达到60亿，高于上届的50亿；现场观赛人数将逾500万，高于卡塔尔世界杯的340万。
It’s often said that bigger means better. This year’s FIFA World Cup may put that to the test. By almost any metric, the 2026 tournament is the largest ever: the most host countries; the longest distances between stadiums; the most players, teams, and matches; and then there’s the eye-watering ticket prices. The scale is a logistical nightmare for fans, teams, and host cities. Held across three countries— Canada, Mexico, and the US—48 teams (up from the usual 32) will navigate 16 host cities separated by thousands of miles and four distinct time zones. With FIFA expanding the tournament to defend soccer’s dominance over a host of growing contender sports, fans and teams alike should get used to the upscaling, experts tell WIRED Middle East. Going forward, only the richest or largest nations will ever be able to host a tournament alone. The sky-high prices to attend games in this year’s tournament have drawn global attention. FIFA has been accused of pricing normal people out of soccer by implementing exorbitant rates for all but the least desirable seats. Industry data suggests that hotel rooms in host cities across Canada, the US, and Mexico are also surging in price. “Average attendance cost in the US host cities is running north of $5,000 a head, before you’ve factored in flights between venues,” says Christos Anagnostopoulos, an assistant professor in sports management at Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Qatar. An average visitor is expected to spend around $5,400 in the US—far above the $720-$2,500 visitors to Qatar spent in 2022. Transport at this year’s tournament is fundamentally different from that of the one-city tournament in Qatar, or in Russia in 2018, which provided free public transportation and an additional 500 trains to help people get around. This year, because of the vast distances, the only option for fans and teams is flights, which airlines have been adding to accommodate potential World Cup travelers. “Teams and fans now must factor in flights, not metro rides, and the carbon and cost implications are real,” Anagnostopoulos says. The need to book flights, not trains or taxis, may also be decreasing demand for hotels simply because the travel costs are too high for some people. “US hotels are already reporting bookings below expectations,” Anagnostopoulos says. “Scale doesn’t guarantee the crowds will show up.” For organizers and host cities, the scale of the tournament demands a massive investment in security, including against threats that would have barely crossed the minds of previous hosts. The size of the tournament, and the fact that it crosses borders, has pushed the price tag higher. “The challenge is not simply the number of systems involved, but whether those systems can exchange information efficiently,” he adds. The numbers tell a story of a tournament straining under its own ambition. It’s not yet clear whether these investments will pay off in terms of tickets bought and advertising slots sold. Why, then, is FIFA pursuing growth at all costs? According to Simon Chadwick, professor of sport and geopolitical economy at the international SKEMA Business School, the reason may be growing competition from other sports. Adding more teams to the tournament means that more space for players and fans is required, but it also means more viewers and tickets sold. FIFA is forecasting 6 billion engagements across TV, streaming, and digital platforms this year, up from last tournament’s 5 billion. Over 5 million people will attend in person, compared with Qatar’s 3.4 million.