FIFA President Gianni Infantino defended World Cup ticket prices on Tuesday, claiming that the sport’s global governing organization was required to take advantage of US laws that allow tickets to be resold for thousands of dollars more than face value.
FIFA has come under fire for the high cost of World Cup tickets, with fan organization Football Supporters Europe (FSE) calling the price system “extortionate” and a “monumental betrayal.”
In March, FSE launched a lawsuit with the European Commission against FIFA for the tournament’s “excessive ticket prices.”
Last week, FIFA Marketplace, the World Cup resale website, advertised four tickets to the July 19 final in New York for more than $2 million each.
Infantino stated at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills that the exorbitant fees reflected the high demand for World Cup viewing.
“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,” Infantino said.
“And number two, it doesn’t mean that somebody will buy these tickets,” Infantino said. “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.”
Fan organizations have compared the gap in ticket prices for this summer to the Qatar World Cup in 2022.
The most costly ticket for the final in 2022 was roughly $1,600 at face value, while the most expensive ticket for the final in 2026 is around $11,000 at original pricing.
Infantino insisted that the substantial increase in face-value prices was justifiable.
“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,” Infantino said.
“In the US it is permitted to resell tickets as well. So if you were to sell tickets at a price that is too low, these tickets will be resold at a much higher price.
“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 our price.”
According to Infantino, FIFA received more than 500 million ticket requests for 2026, compared to less than 50 million for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups combined.
According to the FIFA chief, 25% of group phase tickets were priced under $300.
“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,” Infantino said. “And this is the World Cup.”
