Gianni Infantino Defends Soaring 2026 World Cup Ticket Prices Amid Fan Backlash

According to the French newspaper L'Équipe, Gianni Infantino has chosen to side with market logic amid soaring ticket prices for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Although fan groups have angrily condemned the pricing strategy as “extortion,” Infantino not only defended the high prices in recent remarks, but also made sarcastic jokes about the controversy.

Speaking at a conference in Beverly Hills on Wednesday, Infantino once again addressed the issue of ticket prices. Earlier, four final tickets listed on FIFA’s official resale platform reportedly appeared with prices reaching an astonishing $2 million each, triggering widespread outrage.

Responding to the absurd figures, Infantino switched into “humour mode”: “If someone really pays $2 million for a World Cup final ticket, I personally guarantee I’ll deliver the hot dogs and Coca-Cola myself and make sure they have a perfect experience.”

However, the joke clearly failed to calm angry supporters. European football fan organisations had already publicly criticised FIFA, accusing the governing body of “blatant extortion” and “a massive betrayal of football fans.”

According to supporters’ groups, the most expensive ticket for the 2022 FIFA World Cup final in Qatar cost around $1,600. By contrast, official starting prices for the 2026 World Cup final in the United States, Canada, and Mexico have reportedly surged to $11,000, a staggering increase.

Defending the sharp rise, Infantino explained his reasoning: “We must consider the market environment. The United States has the most developed entertainment industry market in the world, and we have to apply the pricing rules that exist here.”

He added that US law allows unrestricted ticket resale. If FIFA priced tickets too low, they would inevitably be resold on the secondary market by scalpers for double or even higher prices. “Rather than letting the profits go to the resale market, it is better for the official seller to set the price.”

Despite the eye-watering prices, the World Cup’s global appeal remains enormous. Infantino stressed that FIFA has already received more than 500 million ticket applications, while the combined total for the previous two World Cups was only around 50 million.

To show that FIFA has not completely abandoned ordinary supporters, he noted that 25% of group-stage tickets are priced below $300. However, the reality is that all 104 matches of the 2026 World Cup are now effectively close to being completely sold out.