FFF outlines eco-friendly fan-zone guide for 2026 World Cup | OneFootball

With the 2026 World Cup starting on Thursday and France opening against Senegal on Tuesday 16 June at 21:00, the FFF announced on Monday a guide to make fan-zones more environmentally responsible.

It targets France's 35,000 local authorities, many of which host public screenings, and has been circulated for use ahead of the tournament.

The 13 thematic sheets are grouped into five pillars, adapting fan-zones to a warming climate, cutting carbon from screenings, minimising waste, reducing water and energy use, and protecting biodiversity. Authorities are invited to choose measures within their constraints.

Each recommendation has a success indicator, for example at least 30% shade, one drinking water point per 300 people, 70% arriving by public transport and 10% parking for bikes. No single-use items, including disposable cups, should be handed out, and sites should avoid any soil artificialisation or degradation.

The federation is also offering a calculator to measure a fan-zone's carbon footprint. A climate-risk analysis for 2026 puts a high-end total at 9 million tonnes CO2e, roughly that of 1.1 million French people, comparable to metropolitan Marseille, with about 70% from team and supporter travel.

Fan-zones are seen as a way to curb that impact. In 2024, The Shifters proposed festival-style, paid-access fan-zones, while in the United States Cosm venues in Los Angeles and Dallas use a curved screen, reconstructed stands and a fixed behind-goal or corner camera, which could eventually offer alternatives to travel.

Source: L'Équipe