FIFA President Defends High 2026 World Cup Ticket Prices in US Market

FIFA President Gianni Infantino defended the organization's high ticket prices for the 2026 World Cup, saying they reflect market rates in the United States where entertainment is highly developed and ticket resale is permitted by law. Infantino spoke Tuesday at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills.

He noted that some final tickets had appeared on FIFA's resale platform for as much as $2.3 million each, though he said such listings do not mean tickets actually cost that amount or that buyers will pay it. FIFA collects a 15 percent purchase fee from buyers and a 15 percent resale fee from sellers on its official resale site.

That structure would deliver FIFA $690,000 from the sale of one $2.3 million resale ticket. The face value of the most expensive ticket for the 2026 final stands at $10,990, a sharp increase from about $1,600 for the 2022 final in Qatar. Infantino said the rise was justified because FIFA received more than 500 million ticket requests for 2026, compared with fewer than 50 million combined for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments.

Fan groups have sharply criticized the pricing.

Football Supporters Europe called the structure extortionate and a monumental betrayal. The organization filed a lawsuit with the European Commission in March targeting FIFA over excessive ticket prices. Infantino said that even though some complain the official prices are high, tickets still end up on the resale market at more than double those levels.

He added that FIFA is obliged to take advantage of U.S. laws that permit such resale. "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," Infantino said.

He also pointed to the cost of attending major U.S. sporting events. Twenty-five percent of group-stage tickets are priced under $300, he said, adding that fans cannot attend even a college game in the United States for less than that amount.

FIFA does not set the asking prices on its resale website but benefits directly from the fees generated there. Last week the platform listed four final tickets at $2.3 million apiece. Infantino offered a lighthearted pledge regarding any fan who purchases a ticket at that level.

"If somebody buys a ticket for the final for $2m I will personally bring him a hotdog and a Coke to make sure that he has a great experience," he said. Ticket prices have drawn sustained criticism since the scale of the increases became clear. Fan organizations contrasted the 2026 pricing with the far lower face values charged for the Qatar tournament.

professional teams, were available for as little as $11.

“If some people put on the resale market, some tickets for the final at $2m, number one it doesn’t mean that the tickets cost $2m. And number two it doesn’t mean that somebody will buy these tickets.”

“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.”