Infantino Defends World Cup 2026 Ticket Prices Amid Backlash
Gianni Infantino leant into the storm rather than away from it.
Facing mounting anger over World Cup 2026 ticket prices, the FIFA president stood on stage at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills and defended a system that has seen seats for the final advertised for more than $2 million each on FIFA’s own resale platform.
The numbers are staggering. The backlash is, too.
Infantino stands firm on soaring prices
Fan group Football Supporters Europe (FSE) has called the pricing “extortionate” and a “monumental betrayal,” and has already taken its fight to Brussels, filing a complaint with the European Commission in March over what it calls “excessive ticket prices.”
Yet Infantino’s message in California was clear: this is the market, and FIFA intends to ride it.
On FIFA Marketplace last week, four tickets for the July 19 final in New York appeared at over $2 million each. Infantino dismissed the eye-watering figures as a reflection of demand rather than a true benchmark.
“If some people put on the resale market, some tickets for the final at $2 million, number one it doesn't mean that the tickets cost $2 million,” AFP quoted him as saying. “And number two it doesn't mean that somebody will buy these tickets.”
Then came the flourish, a line tailor-made for headlines.
“And if somebody buys a ticket for the final for $2 million I will personally bring him a hot dog and a Coke to make sure that he has a great experience.”
Behind the bravado lies a stark reality. The most expensive face-value ticket for the 2022 World Cup final in Qatar was around $1,600. For 2026, the top tier for the final has leapt to about $11,000.
Infantino, though, portrayed that jump as not only rational but necessary.
“We have to look at the market -- we are in the market in which entertainment is the most developed in the world. So we have to apply market rates,” he said, pointing directly at US ticket culture as the driving force.
He argued that if FIFA set prices too low, the resale market would simply capture the profit.
“In the US it is permitted to resell tickets as well. So if you were to sell tickets at the price which is too low, these tickets will be resold at a much higher price,” he said. “And as a matter of fact, even though some people are saying that the ticket prices we have are high, they still end up on the resale market at an even higher price, more than double of our price.”
The demand figures he cited back up his confidence: more than 500 million ticket requests for 2026, compared with fewer than 50 million combined for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments. In that context, he framed FIFA’s pricing as almost restrained.
Infantino stressed that 25 percent of group-stage tickets are priced under $300, and then delivered another pointed comparison.
“You cannot go to watch in the US a college game, not even speaking about a top professional game of a certain level, for less than $300,” he said. “And this is the World Cup.”
The debate over who football’s showpiece really belongs to – the global fanbase or those who can afford “market rates” – will rage far beyond Beverly Hills. For now, FIFA’s president has nailed his colours to the mast.
