FIFA President Gianni Infantino defended the high ticket prices for the World Cup, emphasizing that FIFA is required to leverage a U.S. law allowing ticket resales at inflated prices. He faced criticism from fan group Football Supporters Europe (FSE), which labeled the prices as “exorbitant” and filed a lawsuit against FIFA regarding this issue.
Infantino mentioned that demand drives ticket pricing, asserting that just because resale tickets for the finals were advertised at as high as $2.3 million doesn’t mean that this reflects the original ticket price. He noted that FIFA collects a 15% fee from both buyers and sellers on resale sites, which means they could profit significantly from these high resale prices.
The comparison between ticket prices for the upcoming 2026 World Cup and previous tournaments highlighted a stark increase. The most expensive ticket for Qatar 2022 was approximately $1,600, while the face value for the 2026 finals is around $11,000. Infantino justified this hike by citing market rates in the developed U.S. entertainment landscape, where even college games can cost over $300.
Despite FSE’s criticisms, Infantino pointed out that 25% of group stage tickets will be priced below $300 and referenced the overwhelming demand for the tournament, with over 500 million ticket requests for 2026 compared to less than 50 million for the previous two World Cups.
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