FIFA president Gianni Infantino has defended the pricing of tickets for the 2026 World Cup, arguing that market demand and United States resale laws have driven costs higher, despite mounting criticism from supporters’ groups.
Speaking at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills on Tuesday, Infantino said football’s governing body must operate within an established entertainment market where ticket resale is permitted, allowing prices to rise significantly above their original value.
His remarks come amid growing backlash over ticket affordability, with fan organisation Football Supporters Europe (FSE) accusing FIFA of setting “extortionate” prices and describing the structure as a “monumental betrayal”. The group has already taken legal action, filing a complaint with the European Commission in March over what it calls excessive pricing.
The controversy intensified after FIFA’s official resale platform, FIFA Marketplace, listed four tickets for the tournament’s final in New York on 19 July at more than $2 million each. The listing has become a focal point for criticism, highlighting the scale of resale mark-ups.
Infantino sought to downplay the significance of such figures, stressing that resale prices do not represent the official cost of tickets. “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,” he added. “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.”
Despite this, comparisons with previous tournaments have fuelled concern. At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the most expensive final ticket had a face value of around $1,600. For 2026, the top-tier face value has risen sharply to approximately $11,000.
Infantino maintained that the increase was justified, pointing to both the scale of demand and the commercial environment in which the tournament will be held. “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.
He also argued that lower official prices would only encourage further profiteering on secondary markets. “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,” Infantino 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 FIFA president highlighted unprecedented demand for the upcoming tournament, revealing that more than 500 million ticket requests had been made. This compares with fewer than 50 million combined requests for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
He also noted that a quarter of group-stage tickets were priced below $300, suggesting that more affordable options remain available for fans. “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.”
While FIFA continues to defend its approach, criticism from supporters and legal challenges suggest the debate over accessibility and pricing is unlikely to subside as the tournament approaches.
