FIFA President Gianni Infantino defended the prices of tickets for the 2026 World Cup, stressing that they are justified, and explained that the game’s governing body is obligated to take advantage of American laws that allow the resale of tickets at prices exceeding their nominal value by thousands of dollars. FIFA faced harsh criticism over the prices of World Cup tickets, with the European Football Fans Organization describing the pricing structure as “extortionate” and “high treason.”
Last March, the organization filed a lawsuit with the European Commission against FIFA due to “exaggerated ticket prices” for the 2026 World Cup, which is hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Last week, FIFA, the website for reselling World Cup tickets, announced four tickets to attend the final match scheduled to be held on July 19 in New York, at a price of more than two million dollars per ticket.
In his speech at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, Infantino said that these high prices reflect the great demand for watching the World Cup.
He added: “If some offer tickets for the final match for sale on the black market at a price of two million dollars, this does not necessarily mean that their original price is two million dollars.” He continued: “It also does not necessarily mean that anyone will buy it. If someone buys a ticket to the final match for two million dollars, I will personally bring him a hot dog sandwich and a soft drink to guarantee him a wonderful experience.”
Fan groups have compared the difference in ticket prices this summer with the previous edition of the World Cup in Qatar 2022, when the price of the most expensive ticket for the final match was about $1,600 at its original price, while the price of the most expensive ticket for the final match in 2026 was about $11,000 at its original price.
Infantino insisted that the significant increase in original prices was justified. He said: “We have to look at the market. We work in a market that is witnessing tremendous development in the field of entertainment globally. So, we have to apply market prices.”
He explained that reselling tickets is allowed in the United States, so if tickets are sold for a very low price, they will be sold again for a much higher price. In fact, even though some say our ticket prices are high, they are sold on the resale market at a much higher price, more than double their original price.”
Infantino reported that FIFA received more than 500 million ticket requests for the 2026 World Cup, compared to less than 50 million requests combined for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
He pointed out that 25% of group stage tickets were sold for less than $300. “You cannot attend a college match in the United States, let alone a high-level professional match, for less than $300. And this is the World Cup.”
