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FIFA president Gianni Infantino has defended ticket prices at the 2026 World Cup, acknowledging that some seats are expensive but saying others are affordable.
Ticket prices have been a major talking point around this summer's tournament, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Fan group Football Supporters Europe has complained that FIFA's pricing is “extortionate” and claimed that following a team from the tournament's start to finish will cost nearly five times as much as the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
FIFA opened its last-minute sales phase on April 1, which sees fans able to buy World Cup tickets on a first-come, first-served basis for the first time.
For many of the 104 games, the only tickets available are in the thousands of dollars. For one semifinal in Atlanta, the only tickets available are $9,660 as of Thursday, April 30.
FIFA also has faced an angry reaction from fans for introducing a "front-row seat" category, a new classification that had been unannounced prior to the opening of the last-minute sales phase.
For the first time, FIFA also has introduced a dynamic-pricing model that sees prices change based on demand.
Amid an outcry from fans worldwide, Infantino said that sales for the tournament in the U.S., Mexico and Canada have still been brisk.
"We sold 100% of the inventory that we put on the market, which is more or less 90% of the global inventory so far," Infantino said during an address at the FIFA Congress in Vancouver on Thursday.
"And of course, we are always putting tickets on the market. There are expensive tickets, yes, but there are also affordable tickets."
Under heavy criticism, FIFA announced in December that it would be offering a small subset of fans access to $60 tickets for all 104 matches.
Addressing representatives from 210 of FIFA's 211 member associations (Iran was absent), Infantino emphasized that as a non-profit organization, FIFA redistributes a large percentage of the money it earns back to its member countries.
"What is important is that all the revenue that we generate from the World Cup goes back to you, goes back to the entire world and finances football in all of your countries," Infantino said. "And you know it better than me, in a big majority of our countries, we could not have organized football without the grants and the revenues and the Forward program."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: World Cup 2026 ticket prices: Gianni Infantino defends FIFA policy
Continue reading...
Ticket prices have been a major talking point around this summer's tournament, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Fan group Football Supporters Europe has complained that FIFA's pricing is “extortionate” and claimed that following a team from the tournament's start to finish will cost nearly five times as much as the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
FIFA opened its last-minute sales phase on April 1, which sees fans able to buy World Cup tickets on a first-come, first-served basis for the first time.
For many of the 104 games, the only tickets available are in the thousands of dollars. For one semifinal in Atlanta, the only tickets available are $9,660 as of Thursday, April 30.
FIFA also has faced an angry reaction from fans for introducing a "front-row seat" category, a new classification that had been unannounced prior to the opening of the last-minute sales phase.
For the first time, FIFA also has introduced a dynamic-pricing model that sees prices change based on demand.
Amid an outcry from fans worldwide, Infantino said that sales for the tournament in the U.S., Mexico and Canada have still been brisk.
"We sold 100% of the inventory that we put on the market, which is more or less 90% of the global inventory so far," Infantino said during an address at the FIFA Congress in Vancouver on Thursday.
"And of course, we are always putting tickets on the market. There are expensive tickets, yes, but there are also affordable tickets."
Under heavy criticism, FIFA announced in December that it would be offering a small subset of fans access to $60 tickets for all 104 matches.
Addressing representatives from 210 of FIFA's 211 member associations (Iran was absent), Infantino emphasized that as a non-profit organization, FIFA redistributes a large percentage of the money it earns back to its member countries.
"What is important is that all the revenue that we generate from the World Cup goes back to you, goes back to the entire world and finances football in all of your countries," Infantino said. "And you know it better than me, in a big majority of our countries, we could not have organized football without the grants and the revenues and the Forward program."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: World Cup 2026 ticket prices: Gianni Infantino defends FIFA policy
Continue reading...
