What is green building certification? Which FIFA World Cup 2026 stadiums have LEED status?

Most of the stadiums for this year’s FIFA World Cup have achieved green building status after attempting certification in the run-up to the tournament.

Going into the tournament, 13 of the 16 stadiums have achieved LEED certification, the world’s most widely used rating system for green buildings, according to the US Green Building Council. Ten of these have been certified since 2024 through a rigorous process to ensure buildings meet strict sustainability standards. The council expects that at least two of the three remaining stadiums will achieve certification in the coming weeks.

Together, the LEED-certified stadiums have installed more than 11,500 solar panels to generate clean electricity. The changes made will help them save more than 100 million gallons of drinking water annually and eliminate more than 5 million single-use plastics annually, according to information shared by the stadiums. Four locations reuse, recycle or compost nearly all waste, preventing it from ending up in a landfill.

“They will be able to realize cost savings and also improve indoor air quality,” said Rhiannon Jacobsen, director of the US Green Building Council. “That would then support the fan experience and improve team performance.”

FIFA has committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030 and achieving carbon neutral emissions by 2040. The tournament’s use of existing stadiums avoids the carbon pollution associated with the construction of venues for major sporting events. And achieving the sustainability label means that these stadiums demonstrate efficient use of energy and water, improved air quality and less waste.

Yet scientists warn this will be the most polluting World Cup yet, largely due to the air travel required for fans and teams traveling across North America and the tournament’s expansion from 32 to 48 teams. Air travel is a major contributor to climate change because burning jet fuel releases carbon dioxide.

According to a report by Scientists for Global Responsibility, the New Weather Institute and other environmental sustainability groups, the tournament will generate more than 9 million tonnes of CO2 pollution, the same as the almost 6.5 million average British cars driven for an entire year.

The U.S. Green Building Council introduced the first version of its flagship LEED rating system in 1998 and tested it on 19 projects. Since then, it has become the global standard for designing, building and operating healthy, efficient and cost-effective green buildings.

The council creates and updates the standards, while its sister organization, Green Business Certification Inc., certifies the projects. Projects earn points in categories such as energy and atmosphere, water efficiency and indoor environmental quality. Points correspond to a certification level: certified, silver, gold and platinum.

According to the city, LEED-certified buildings typically use about 25% less energy, reduce carbon emissions by about 34% and use 10% less water than conventional buildings.

There are 51 LEED-certified professional sports venues in North America, the vast majority of which are in the U.S., the council said. And there are approximately 150 total certified sports venues in North America, including collegiate stadiums and arenas.

The USGBC recently launched a map to highlight certified stadiums. It shows football and baseball stadiums in addition to the World Cup venues so far, and the map will be expanded later.

Garrett Wittmaier, director of stadium services for the Kansas City Chiefs, said FIFA encouraged host venues to become LEED certified and the timeline was certainly a challenge. But he said it was feasible for GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium because they had already made changes in recent years to become more sustainable.

These include daily sorting to divert more than 90% of waste from local landfills by 2025, adding biodigesters for food waste, installing LED sports lighting, limiting water flow in sinks and automating urinals flushing. Their reusable cup program prevented approximately 100,000 plastic cups from becoming waste.

“We are constantly looking for ways to reduce the negative impact of major events on local communities and the environment,” Wittmaier wrote in an email.

The oldest of the venues, the 60-year-old Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, achieved the highest level of LEED certification in October. Jacobsen said it shows how older sites can meet modern sustainability standards.

Latin America’s largest football stadium, with 87,500 seats, reduced indoor water consumption by 36% thanks to efficient fixtures and reduced energy consumption by almost 45% thanks to efficient heating and air conditioning equipment and new lighting. Officials developed a waste reduction program and a policy to purchase sustainable products, including toilet paper.

Félix Aguirre, deputy general manager of the stadium, said this was an opportunity to increase sustainability and position the venue as a benchmark for responsible sports infrastructure. Aguirre said achieving this in about a year was an extraordinary feat, given the age and original conditions of the facility, with some areas never having had adequate ventilation systems.

Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California; Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia and Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta participated in LEED before the 2022 host cities were announced. The rest have obtained certifications since early 2024.

The other LEED-certified stadiums are: BMO Field in Toronto; Estadio BBVA in Guadalupe, Mexico; AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas; Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts; Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida; MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey; BC place in Vancouver; and Estadio Akron in Guadalajara, Mexico.

AT&T Stadium will host nine games, the most of the sixteen locations. It achieved gold certification in March.

Scott Woodrow, the assistant general manager for facilities, said they had previously invested in energy efficiency projects that would help if they ever pursued LEED. The World Cup gave them a reason to achieve this, he added.

They spent more than $7 million adding high-efficiency heating and cooling systems, water fixtures and sustainable lighting. Woodrow said one consultant estimated a 16% reduction in overall energy consumption.

MetLife Stadium, which will host eight matches including the final, achieved gold certification in May.

It focused on the use of solar energy, efficient lighting and hybrid and electric vehicles, and on diverting waste from landfills. President and CEO Ron VanDeVeen said in a statement that the certification shows how premium guest experiences and rigorous green building practices can go hand-in-hand.

Published on June 6, 2026