FIFA President Gianni Infantino speaks during the 29th annual Milken Institute Global Conference at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California on May 5, 2026. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images)
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With World Cup ticket prices having gone through the roof, FIFA President Gianni Infantino has defended his organization's policies for this summer's tournament.
Speaking at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, California on Tuesday, Infantino talked about the criticism over the exorbitant prices set for the tournament and dynamic pricing policy the organization has adopted.
"We have to look at the market," he said, according to ESPN. "We are in the market in which entertainment is the most developed in the world, so we have to apply market rates.
“In the U.S., it is permitted to resell tickets as well, so if you were to sell tickets at the price which is too low, these tickets will be resold at a much higher price. And as a matter of fact, even though some people are saying that the ticket prices we have are high, they still end up on the resale market at an even higher price, more than double our price.”
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Infantino and FIFA have been under increased criticism over the high cost of tickets. Last month, tickets for the July 19 final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. were selling for $2.3 million on the official resale site.
ForbesFIFA Ticket Scandal Haunts World Cup Two Months Before KickoffBy Ian Nicholas Quillen“If some people put on the resale market, some tickets for the final at $2 million, number one it doesn’t mean that the tickets cost $2 million,” Infantino said, according to The Guardian. “And number two it doesn’t mean that somebody will buy these tickets. And if somebody buys a ticket for the final for $2 million, I will personally bring him a hotdog and a Coke to make sure that he has a great experience.”
FIFA President Gianni Infantino speaks during the 29th annual Milken Institute Global Conference at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California on May 5, 2026. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images)
AFP via Getty Images
Football Supporters Europe has called the pricing structure “extortionate” and a “monumental betrayal.”
In March, FSE and the European Commission filed a lawsuit, claiming FIFA was using “excessive ticket prices" for the World Cup.
Many fans in the United States, co-hosts of the competition with Mexico and Canada, and Europe are up in arms about the prices, claiming many are unaffordable.
Infantino said that FIFA received more than 500 million ticket requests for this tournament, compared with fewer than 50 million combined for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. He claimed that one-fourth of the group phase tickets were under $300.
“You cannot go to watch in the U.S. a college game, not even speaking about a top professional game of a certain level, for less than $300,” Infantino said. “And this is the World Cup.”
ForbesSlow Ticket Sales, Low Enthusiasm For USMNT Before The World CupBy Michael LewisFront Office Sports, however, noted that tickets for American gridiron football games are available below 300. The website reported that resale tickets to first round and quarterfinal games of the college football playoffs cost less than $300. A day prior to the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, tickets cost as low as $28.
In his talk, Infantino said that FIFA was a nonprofit, and that the World Cup funds all of his organization's activities for the next four years.
“We are in a market in which entertainment is the most developed in the world. So we have to apply market rates,” Infantino said. “In the U.S., it is permitted to resell tickets as well. So if you were to sell tickets at the price which is too low, these tickets would be resold at a much higher price.”
Beyond the out-of-control ticket prices, the build-up to this World Cup has made headlines for the wrong reasons.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 28: People prepare to enter Penn Station ahead of the Memorial Day weekend in Midtown Manhattan on May 28, 2021 in New York City. Travel for Memorial Day which has become the unofficial start of summer is expected to increase 60% this year as more restrictions due to COVID-19 are being lifted. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
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On Tuesday, May 5, Forbes reported that almost 80% of U.S. hoteliers in 11 U.S. host cities have said that bookings were tracking below original forecasts. Some hoteliers described the tournament as a “non-event,” according to an American Hotel & Lodging Association survey of members.
ForbesU.S. Hotels Say World Cup Is ‘Non-Event’ So FarBy Suzanne Rowan KelleherTransportation issues and controversies have left fans angry and perplexed. For example, fans who want to travel from New York City to games at MetLife Stadium, will have to pay $150 each for a roundtrip on NJ Transit. A roundup ticket usually costs $12.90. On the eight World Cup game days at the venue, NJ Transit will close Penn Station to all riders except those with special World Cup match tickets, starting four hours prior to kickoff.
Those fans who plan on driving to the games, will have to park at the American Dream Mall for $225. The mall is adjacent to the venue.
Boston also has increased train ticket prices to the matches at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. as a $20 round-trip ticket will now cost fans $80.
Michael Lewis, the sixth recipient of the Clay Berling Media Career of Excellence Award in 2025, can be followed on X (formerly Twitter) and Bluesky at @Soccerwriter. His 10th soccer book, Around the World Cup in 40 Years: An American sportswriter’s perspective, will be published this spring.
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