FIFA President Gianni Infantino has publicly defended ticket prices for the 2026 World Cup following widespread backlash from fans, pointing to unprecedented global demand as justification. Speaking on Monday at the World Sports Summit in Dubai, Infantino revealed that just two weeks after ticket sales opened, organisers had already received a staggering 150 million ticket requests for the tournament set to be hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
His remarks marked the first time he addressed the controversy since fan groups began criticising FIFA earlier this month, describing the prices as “extortionate” and “astronomical.” The backlash has been particularly strong across Europe, where supporters have compared the cost of attending matches in 2026 to previous tournaments and raised concerns about accessibility for ordinary fans.
Infantino acknowledged the debate surrounding ticket pricing, noting that it has dominated discussions since sales began. “In the last few days, you’ve probably seen there is a lot of debate about ticketing and ticket prices,” Infantino told the Dubai conference on Monday. He emphasised that FIFA had released between six and seven million tickets so far and that demand had far exceeded expectations.
“We have six, seven million tickets on sale, and we started two weeks ago. I can tell you that in two weeks, 15 days, we received 150 million ticket requests. This shows how powerful the World Cup is.”
According to Infantino, the highest number of requests came from the United States, followed by Germany and Britain. The figures, he said, highlight the scale of interest in what will be the largest World Cup in history, expanded to include more teams and matches across three countries.
Why does FIFA say high ticket prices are justified?
Infantino went further by placing the demand into historical context, comparing it to total ticket sales across all previous World Cups. “If you think that in 100 years of history of the World Cup, FIFA has sold 44 million tickets in total, so in two weeks for the next World Cup, we could have filled 300 years of World Cups,” Infantino said. “This is absolutely crazy.”
Beyond demand, Infantino stressed that revenue generation is central to FIFA’s broader mission. He insisted that money made from ticket sales would not be kept by organisers or host nations but redistributed across the global football ecosystem.
“And what is important, what is crucial is that the revenues that are generated from this are going back to the game all over the world and FIFA is the only organisation in the world…that finances football in the entire world.”
He added that FIFA’s financial role is essential to the survival of the sport in many regions. “Without FIFA there will be no football in 150 countries in the world. There is football thanks to these revenues that we generate from the World Cup which we reinvest all over the world.”
How have fans and supporter groups reacted to the pricing?
Despite FIFA’s explanations, criticism from supporter organisations has continued. Football Supporters Europe, one of the most vocal groups opposing the pricing model, said earlier this month that tickets for the 2026 tournament could cost nearly five times more than those sold for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
In response to the mounting pressure, FIFA announced that a limited number of tickets would be available at a lower price point of $60. While the move was seen by some as a step toward inclusivity, critics argue that the small allocation does little to address broader concerns about affordability.
As preparations for the 2026 World Cup accelerate, the debate around ticket pricing shows no signs of fading. With demand already breaking records and fans weighing cost against experience, FIFA’s challenge will be balancing global enthusiasm with accessibility, while convincing supporters that the financial model truly benefits the game worldwide.
By Lucky Anyanje