FIFA President Pushes Back Against World Cup Ticket Price Criticism
"We sold until today over 6 million tickets," Infantino said at a news conference in Mexico City. "The demand has been unprecedented...The number of ticket requests we received has been absolutely incredible."
As the 2026 FIFA World Cup gets underway across the US, Canada, and Mexico, a sharp spike in ticket prices compared to the 2022 edition has drawn widespread backlash, straining supporters' finances and threatening to price out a significant portion of the global fanbase.
Infantino disclosed that FIFA had recently released 130,000 additional tickets with entry-level prices starting at $60 — a figure he argued holds up favorably against comparable major sporting events across North America.
"The starting price (is) at $60," Infantino said. "The market is what it is."
Confronting the pricing controversy head-on, Infantino contended that lower ticket prices would have simply redirected profits to resellers rather than the sport itself.
"If you sell it at a lower price point, it would have gone — which is perfectly legal in this country — in secondary markets at much, much, much higher prices," he said.
"Where would the money go then? To those who organized secondary market or black market activities and not to football."
Infantino maintained that FIFA's pricing structure is deliberately engineered to funnel World Cup revenues back into global football development.
"Every dollar that comes in goes back to the development of football," he said. "We have one competition every four years that generates revenues."
The FIFA chief also framed World Cup attendance as a singular experience that transcends conventional event pricing, noting that costs inherently reflect both local market realities and the sheer magnitude of the tournament.
"It is a once-in-a-lifetime experience," Infantino said. "When you are in a country, when you are in a part of the world, you need, of course, to deal with the local habits and the local customs."
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