How to make football more sustainable is an issue that faces English football, spotlighted in summer 2026 with the World Cup. Following the Football Governance Act in 2025 and the formation of the Independent Football Regulator, Dr James Jackson suggests a series of policy recommendations to make football more sustainable.

• Football can prioritise sustainability by, at the very least, aligning the UK government’s Net Zero objectives.
• Following calls to ban gambling sponsors for the Premier League, research suggests extending that to ban fossil fuel advertisements at games.
• Government should mandate a model similar to the current Common Goal 1% initiative, where Premier League clubs could invest a minimum of 1% of gross revenue in grassroots adaptation.

The climate impact of football

The report Football and Climate Change was led by The University of Manchester and produced in partnership with Loughborough University and the University of Bristol. It details how the extreme carbon-intensity of modern football is neither accidental, nor inevitable.

Early estimates of the 2026 World Cup tournament put the total emission at around 9 million tons of CO₂, of which 7.7 million tons are linked to the air transport of fans and teams.

 The (un)sustainability of English football

 English football is increasingly bearing the brunt of climate change. Recent evidence suggests that a record amount of grass roots games are being called off due to excessive heat and/or flooding. Sport England estimate the cost of climate related damage to grassroots is £20 million and could amount to £510 million in the future.

Although the impacts at grass roots seems far apart from the elites of English football found in the Premier League down the English Football league (EFL) these impacts will inevitably affect the ‘future generation’ of English footballers.

This raises questions over the responsibility of elite football clubs in the here and now.

Football governance in the UK: policy recommendations

Although making football more globally sustainable is primarily a subject for FIFA, the Football Association (FA) has a role to play as a member of the organisation. Alongside the UK government, particularly the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), the Premier League and EFL, the FA can help shift English football in a more sustainable direction by ensuring regulation, commercial standards and infrastructure investment are aligned with the UK government’s net zero objectives.

Following the Football Governance Act 2025 and the establishment of the Independent Football Regulator (IFR), English football has a significant opportunity to implement change across the football pyramid. The Act defines sustainability largely through fan interests and the economic and social wellbeing of local communities, but the absence of a clear environmental remit is a missed opportunity that should be addressed through the following recommendations:

Recommendation 1 – Embed sustainability in regulation – the DCMS, FA and IFR should all prioritise sustainability by giving clubs minimum requirements on emissions, material requirements for games and waste reduction. These targets, at the very least, should be aligned with the broader UK government objectives of to reach 68% reduction by 2030 and net Zero by 2050, as detailed by the Commission on Climate Change (CCC).  Sustainability is central to the financial stability, systemic resilience and heritage preservation highlighted in the Football Governance Act. Governing bodies should recognise these links and stop treating them separately.

Recommendation 2 – Ban fossil fuel advertisements – Football should stop being used to advertise fossil fuel companies and should avoid normalising polluting sectors as prominent features of football. Much like the call to ban betting companies in the Premier League and EFL, we argue that any such ban should be extended to fossil fuel sectors.

Recommendation 3 – Focus on costs as well as revenue – Governing bodies need to recognise that sustainability measured are not a ‘cost’ nor do they disrupt the revenue generating capacity of football. The CCC estimates that sport contributed an estimated £20.7 to the UK in 2023. In a classic case of not investing being greater than investing raised in the Stern Review, clubs should consider the impacts of not adapting football to changing environmental conditions. At present, clubs too often seen any measures to make football a cost and afford to much emphasis to broadcasters. There will no greater disruption to the footballing calendar than flooding or extreme heat.

 Recommendation 4 – Fund grassroots adaptation – In grassroots football increased flooding is calling off more games. FIFA could take steps to help the next generation of footballers. Much like the current Common Goal 1% initiative, Premier League clubs could invest, a minimum of, 1% of gross revenue in grassroots adaptation. Additional revenue could be raised through fines levied on non-compliance with initiatives set out in recommendation 1.

Recommendation 5 – Co-ordinate delivery across government – we recommend the DCMS works alongside governing bodies and other government departments to facilitate sustainability in football. We would encourage the DCMS to work particularly with Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), Department for Environment and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and the Department for Transport (DfT) to help football clubs make more sustainable choices. Measures should include investing in low carbon transport solutions for fans and teams to travel to games, for all energy required for match days to be sourced from renewable generation, for all waste produced from the events to be sustainability managed and for Premier League clubs to be brought into the UK’s Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). Combined, the department could work alongside football to make sustainable an holistic approach across the energy, transport, waste, food and clothing requirements of the game. These targets should be aligned with the UK’s Net Zero objectives.

Combined, the departments could work alongside football to make sustainable and holistic approach across the energy, transport, waste, food and clothing requirements of the game.

These targets should be aligned with the UK’s Net Zero objectives.