FIFA President Gianni Infantino has hit back at critics regarding the pricing for the 2026 World Cup, citing an unprecedented global frenzy for seats.
Speaking at the World Sports Summit in Dubai, the FIFA chief revealed that organizers have been flooded with a staggering 150 million ticket requests in just the last two weeks.
The defense comes amid a fierce backlash from fan groups like Football Supporters Europe, who have branded the costs “extortionate.” Critics claim that some tickets for the North American tournament are priced nearly five times higher than those for the 2022 edition in Qatar.
Infantino justified the revenue targets by emphasizing that every dollar generated is reinvested into the global game. He argued that without these specific World Cup funds, football development would effectively vanish in over 150 countries that rely on FIFA’s financial support.
To illustrate the scale of the interest, Infantino noted that the requests received in the last fortnight alone could have filled “300 years of World Cups.” While FIFA has introduced a small tier of $60 tickets to appease critics, the vast majority of seats remain at the center of a heated affordability debate.
The United States currently leads the charge in ticket demand, followed closely by interest from the United Kingdom and Germany. As the 2026 tournament approaches, the tension between maximizing revenue and maintaining fan accessibility continues to be FIFA’s most difficult balancing act.
