Why this campaign?
Football cannot be played in extreme heat or on a flooded field. But even though the game is highly exposed to extreme weather, it is making the problem worse with huge direct pollution and support for big polluters.
Football is the biggest thing in the world, but unfortunately many clubs and associations are selling their massive platforms to polluting industries that are desperate to keep the world hooked on fossil fuels. That’s why we’re campaigning to end sponsorships with oil and gas companies, airlines and other major polluters.
Fossil Free Football's FAQ
We are a group of football fans from around the world. We can see that our game is both threatened by climate change and making things worse with huge pollution. So we’re pushing to protect the game with serious climate action.
A tobacco style ban on advertising major polluters
Corporations that rely on fossil fuel pollution are under pressure. They fear backlash against their business as public demand for climate action grows. But wrapping their brands around the world’s favourite sport helps normalise what they do and keeps their profits flowing.
But football needs to send a different message. It’s time to kick big polluters out. That means fans and players demand that their clubs and associations drop toxic sponsors and governing bodies introduce tobacco style ‘fossil ad bans’.
A revised football calendar with fewer flights
Professional football needs to lower its climate impact. But widespread expansion of the football calendar has left players and fans overstretched and increased emissions to record levels, despite the urgent need to cut pollution.
Air travel is the primary source of direct emissions in elite football. But a regionalised and lighter schedule would reduce the need for players and fans to fly. Some teams have already committed to avoid flying to domestic matches, but governing bodies should level the playing field by banning these flights outright.
Some corporations (like oil companies or airlines) have no credible decarbonisation plan. Instead, their strategy is to do whatever they can to keep their profits flowing by delaying the shift away from fossil fuels. We must end of the advertising of these corporations in our sport.
Other companies could operate a low-carbon business model, but need to move much faster (such as banks that finance fossil fuel projects or car makers producing ICE vehicles). A ban on their advertising would incentivise their decarbonisation.
Industries our campaign targets include:
– Fossil fuels (eg. Aramco x FIFA)
– Airlines (eg. Emirates x Arsenal)
– Cruise lines (eg. Royal Caribbean x Inter Miami)
– ICE vehicles (eg. Audi x Bayern Munich)
– Long-haul travel campaigns (eg. Visit Rwanda x Atletico Madrid)
– Banks that finance fossil fuel projects (eg. Chase x England)
– Cryptocurrency (eg. Crypto.com x UEFA)
Football is influential. Clubs and players have a huge international following. Corporations that rely on fossil fuel pollution are under pressure. They fear backlash against their business as public demand for climate action grows. But wrapping their brands around the world’s favourite sport helps normalise what they do and keeps their profits flowing.
Football relies on a safe place to play outside, but extreme weather, such as flooding rain or dangerous heat, is worsening. At junior and amateur levels, this means more players are cut off from playing football.
Even elite major tournaments have been impacted, with players and fans endangered by storms and heat at the 2024 Copa America, 2025 Club World Cup and 2026 World Cup.