FIFA President Gianni Infantino has mounted a defense of World Cup ticket pricing despite some appearing on the resale market for $2 million. The Italian has even suggested he will serve up a hot dog and a Coke for anyone forking out that cash.
Ticket prices have been a divisive issue ahead of the World Cup hosted across the United States, Mexico , and Canada , with FIFA drawing fierce criticism. World soccer's bosses were forced to walk back some prices due to the overwhelming negativity surrounding the enormous sums being charged.
A limited number of 'more affordable' tickets were made available for each game following an initial backlash. They were released for 'loyal fans' to account for 10 per cent of each soccer association's allocation, as per The Mirror .
MetLife Stadium in New Jersey is set to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final -Credit:Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Group stage matches are priced according to popularity. England supporters are expected to pay more than those following Scotland , for example. Tickets to see England play Croatia in June are set at $269, $507, or $711; Ghana tickets are $223, $425, and $608; and for the Panama game are $223, $470, and $628.
Infantino appears to have little concern over the pricing, however. Tickets for the U.S. Men's National Team vs Paraguay start at $1,120 and climb as high as $4,105 for the match in Los Angeles. In 2022, the most expensive World Cup Final ticket was around $1,600, while this year it stands at $11,000.
"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.
"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.
"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. In the U.S., it is permitted to resell tickets as well. So if you were to sell tickets at a price which 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."
Infantino highlighted that FIFA received in excess of 500 million ticket requests for 2026, a dramatic increase compared to less than 50 million for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
"You cannot go to watch in the U.S. a college game, not even speaking about a top professional game of a certain level, for less than $300," Infantino continued. "And this is the World Cup."
Before FIFA released additional tickets at a reduced cost, they encountered severe criticism. UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer praised the availability of reasonably priced tickets but urged FIFA to take further action.
He said: "As someone who used to save up for England tickets, I encourage FIFA to do more to make tickets more affordable so that the World Cup doesn't lose touch with the genuine supporters who make the game so special."
