Professional football, despite its global popularity, faces a huge environmental challenge: it creates a significant carbon footprint. This footprint comes from a variety of sources – from equipment manufacturing, through energy needed to operate stadiums, until after travel of clubs and fans around the worldAlthough More and more people are talking about it, the scale of the problem is surprising.

Main sources of emissions: Travel, stadiums and equipment

The largest share of football's carbon footprint is clearly transport. Fans travelling to major tournaments such as the Champions League or the European Championship account for the majority of emissions, according to studies. For example, at EURO 2024 It is estimated that fan travel will account for up to 80 % of total greenhouse gas production, which is around 490,000 tonnes of CO₂. Similarly, the 2022 World Cup in Qatar produced around 3.63 million tonnes of CO₂e, with 52 % of this coming from the transport of teams, officials and fans. Domestic football is no exception – an average match in a prestigious league (e.g. the English one) will “generate” around 1,700 tonnes of CO₂e, half of which is caused by fan travel. International matches are even more demanding, with around 50 % higher emissions due to air travel of visiting fans. An extreme example is a single World Cup match, which is estimated to produce 44,000–72,000 tonnes of CO₂e, the equivalent of driving tens of thousands of regular cars for a year.

In addition to travel, a significant factor is also energy consumption in stadiums. Maintaining a grass pitch requires a huge amount of water and in some cases heating. Powerful floodlights for night matches use a huge amount of electricity, although modern LED lighting can reduce consumption by up to half. Hundreds of thousands of spectators at matches use a lot of water (toilets, refreshments), and we should not forget about production of jerseys, balls or football boots, which are often made from plastics and synthetic materials. To illustrate, the production of one professional football boot can on average "produce" around 100 kg of CO₂. Overall, it is estimated that The football industry emits tens of millions of tons of CO₂ annually, according to some studies around 30–60 million tons.

Clubs and organizations fighting for a green future

Some football clubs and organizations are already aware of these impacts and are actively taking environmental measures. English club Forest Green Rovers (FGR) is a world pioneer, having set a carbon neutrality target back in 2010 and now recognised by FIFA as the “greenest football club in the world”. The club’s grounds feature solar panels, car charging stations, an electric robotic lawnmower, rainwater recycling and even a vegan menu for players and fans. FGR has reduced its emissions per spectator by 42 % since 2011 and has completely eliminated single-use plastics, replacing them with reusable cups and coasters. The club is also building an “Eco Park”, the world’s first wooden football stadium, surrounded by 500 trees and equipped with park-and-ride transport to minimise emissions from fan transport.

Another example is Tottenham Hotspur, which has committed to halving emissions by 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2040 as part of the UN Race to Zero campaign. The club regularly measures its emissions (in 2024 it was 94,056 tonnes of CO₂e) and optimises its gas and electricity consumption, with 100 % of purchased energy now certified green. Also Arsenal through a partnership to purchase electricity from renewable sources, it will save 2.32 million kg of CO₂ annually.

FIFA and UEFA are also adopting climate strategies at the highest level. FIFA committed at COP26 to reduce emissions by 50 % by 2030 and achieve net zero emissions by 2040. UEFA published a Sustainable Football Strategy 2030 and set a similar target of net zero emissions by 2040, with an interim target of halving by 2030. In 2022, UEFA joined the UN Race to Zero campaign and in 2025 published a concrete “Road to Zero” plan to measure and reduce the carbon footprint of both internal and tournament activities. Federations and major tournament organisers are also investing in green initiatives; for example, UEFA has allocated €32 million for EURO 2024 to support rail transport and sustainable solutions to reduce air travel for fans.

Innovations and solutions for sustainable football

Stadiums are becoming key to implementing green solutions. Many new and renovated stadiums are investing in renewable energyAn example is a stadium. Allianz Riviera in Nice, which is covered with thousands of solar panels. During the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, four of the 12 stadiums received solar roofs, providing additional energy generation sufficient for thousands of homes. In addition to solar panels, green roofs, special LED lighting a smart technologies.

For water saving and recycling Stadiums are introducing systems to collect rainwater and reuse it for watering the pitch or maintaining the grounds. Forest Green Rovers even cleans toilet water and reuses it for watering the pitch. For electromobility clubs are installing charging stations for electric cars and offering alternative transport options such as subsidised park-and-ride services. For EURO 2024, UEFA has introduced discounted train tickets and free public transport for ticket holders to cut emissions from air travel. Modern stadiums also integrate elements circular economy, such as sorting and recycling waste and eliminating single-use plastics, replaced with reusable tableware.

Challenges and the future

Despite the growing initiatives, many challenges remain. The expansion of tournaments to multiple continents (e.g. the 2026 World Cup in the USA/Canada/Mexico or the 2030 World Cup in three countries) means extra flights and longer routes, which significantly increases the carbon footprint. There are also issues inconsistent standards in emissions reporting, as clubs and federations often measure and offset emissions in their own way, without a uniform methodology. The shift from actual reductions to purchasing carbon savings (so-called "greenwashing") – for example, the declared carbon-neutral 2022 World Cup still had high emissions, which were not fully offset by real changes. Financing sustainable solutions is another limit, as investments in solar systems, green renovations or ecological stadiums are high and must be profitable in the long term.

The integration of environmental criteria into football rules and the selection of organisers is still in its early stages. A comprehensive shift towards carbon neutrality requires cooperation of all involved – from international federations, national associations, clubs to players and fans. However, football also has enormous social power and global reach, so successful examples and innovations can go far beyond stadium fencing and help the entire sport become truly sustainable. JRi

Sources: Statistics and examples are based on studies and reports on the environmental impact of football earth.orgtheecologist.org, official statements from FIFA and UEFA inside.fifa.comuefa.com and from data from clubs (Forest Green Rovers, Tottenham) and experts on sport and climate unfccc.inttottenhamhotspur.comsolarplaza.com.