FIFA president Gianni Infantino has defended the high ticket prices for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, insisting that the costs reflect massive global demand and the realities of the United States sports entertainment market.
Speaking at the Milken Institute Global Conference in California, Infantino said FIFA had already received more than 500 million ticket requests for the expanded 48-team tournament, which will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
The FIFA chief argued that pricing tickets too low would only encourage scalpers and resellers to profit from the tournament. He pointed to the legal resale market in the US, where tickets are often resold at significantly inflated prices.
Infantino’s comments came amid growing criticism from supporters’ groups and fans over the cost of attending matches. Reports have revealed that resale tickets for the 2026 World Cup final at MetLife Stadium have appeared online for as much as $2.3 million, while FIFA itself has been criticised for sharply increasing official face-value prices compared to previous editions.
According to reports, the most expensive official ticket for the 2026 final is priced at around $11,000, a massive jump from approximately $1,600 for the 2022 World Cup final in Qatar.
Football Supporters Europe (FSE), one of the continent’s largest fan organisations, has strongly criticised FIFA’s pricing model and previously described it as “extortionate.” The group has also reportedly filed a legal complaint with the European Commission over the tournament’s ticketing structure.
Infantino, however, maintained that the prices were aligned with the US sports market, claiming fans regularly pay high prices for major sporting events in America. He also noted that around 25 percent of group-stage tickets were priced below $300 in an effort to provide affordable options for supporters.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is expected to become the biggest and most commercially successful edition in tournament history, with FIFA projecting record revenues from broadcasting, sponsorship, hospitality, and ticket sales.
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