With the 2026 FIFA World Cup approaching its final match on July 19, the tournament has drawn billions of fans from around the world. Each is tuning in to support their favorite team, as they compete to bring home the coveted World Cup trophy, the ultimate representation of world-class athleticism and national pride. This year, a record 48 countries participated, making this the largest World Cup in the tournament’s history. As the tournament approaches its conclusion, millions of spectators have attended matches across the United States, Mexico, and Canada, while billions more have followed the competition around the world.
Hosting the World Cup is a prestigious honor that citizens and leaders alike believe will elevate the socioeconomic status of their city, state, or country. That’s why, every four years, host cities funnel hundreds of billions of dollars into city-improvement projects to withstand the sudden, drastic increase in tourism. This year’s World Cup, spread across locations in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, is expected to generate significant revenue gains for host cities. However, despite the economic benefits, the inevitable strain on existing infrastructure systems poses the risk of significant disruption – some of which may not manifest until months or years down the road.
Among the many infrastructural components required to support millions of international tourists and spectators, officials have been most concerned about municipal water infrastructure systems and their ability to withstand sudden increases in demand for water services.
The sheer scale of this year’s tournament has required significant volumes of water, access to hotels and restaurants, sanitation and wastewater treatment, fan events, cooling systems, emergency medical operations, and food preparation, underscoring the risk of infrastructure strain in host cities. Throughout the country, maintenance of water-intensive soccer pitches, food service processes, and restroom usability has and will continue to consume billions of gallons of water, far exceeding usual municipal demand.
Water infrastructure is often overlooked in conversations about municipal services because, unlike roads, bridges, or public transit, most of us interact with these systems indirectly. Most water infrastructure is underground or away from residential areas. However, these systems provide millions of Americans with safe drinking water and filtration services, safeguarding public health. Despite its importance, U.S. water system investments have been largely neglected, resulting in a C- grade on the 2025 Infrastructure Report Card from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).
Atlanta, Georgia – no stranger to hosting large events after the 1996 Summer Olympics – nevertheless entered the World Cup with a recent history of water infrastructure failures caused by deteriorating pipes. Century-old pipelines in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania similarly raised concerns about the ability of host-city infrastructure to accommodate a sudden influx of visitors. A recent wastewater pipeline breach in Houston, Texas further underscored the broader vulnerabilities facing many modern urban water systems. Although these cities largely avoided major tournament-related disruptions, the World Cup highlighted the importance of maintaining and modernizing aging infrastructure before periods of unusually high demand.
The problem does not lie solely in the pipes.
Water treatment centers that lack up-to-date renovations present severe health threats to entire communities. Working hand in hand with deteriorating pipelines, these aging facilities significantly threaten system reliability, underscoring the issue. This should raise concerns not only about stadium disruptions, but also about citywide failures potentially stemming from surges in infrastructure demand driven by sports tourism.
With 73 percent of host cities experiencing significant water stress, the tournament placed additional pressure on already strained systems. Drought conditions in several host city regions also increased the risk of operational deficiencies of water utilities. Extreme heat also became a concern across nearly all host cities, with temperatures in some locations approaching 100 degrees. Not only does hotter weather increase water consumption among athletes and spectators, but cooling systems at venues require greater water supplies to mitigate these higher temperatures and ensure the comfort of all participants.
Although FIFA has communicated a commitment to efficient water use and intentional conservation, these cities are not exactly in the clear. While LEED-compliant stadium renovations and other proactive measures helped reduce water use during the tournament, these technologies remain superficial solutions to a much broader infrastructure problem.
The World Cup water issue highlighted a prominent theme: ever-increasing water-use demands without equivalent increases in the underlying infrastructure. Exacerbated by population growtn and movement, aging infrastructure, investment restrictions, climate challenges, and more, cities are rapidly approaching their infrastructure limits. Although host cities largely avoided major tournament-related disruptions, the event demonstrated how periods of unusually high demand can place added pressure on aging systems. Without adequate investments in upkeep, such mega-events may irreparably strain age-old systems, jeopardize public health, and increase the costs of future replacement projects.
Although the World Cup has been a time of celebration and cultural unity, this year’s tournament also brought much-needed attention to the vulnerabilities of water utilities across the country. Critical infrastructure is an everyday necessity – keeping it safe, efficient, and resilient is a year-round project and should be continuously addressed before, during, and in-between periods of peak demand and stress. This major event should encourage local and state governments to rip the Band-Aid off and make the necessary investments in the critical infrastructure systems Americans depend on.
Written by Alexandria Redd, Public Policy Intern
The Alliance for Innovation and Infrastructure (Aii) is an independent, national research and educational organization. An innovative think tank, Aii explores the intersection of economics, law, and public policy in the areas of climate, damage prevention, energy, infrastructure, innovation, technology, and transportation.