FIFA Defends 2026 World Cup Ticket Prices Amid Backlash

FIFA President Gianni Infantino defended the high ticket prices for the 2026 World Cup on Monday, attributing them to overwhelming global demand while emphasizing that the revenues support football development worldwide.

Speaking at the World Sports Summit in Dubai, Infantino highlighted the tournament's unprecedented popularity ahead of the event co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. "We have six to seven million tickets on sale and in 15 days we received 150 million ticket requests," he said. "So 10 million ticket requests every single day. It shows how powerful the World Cup is." He noted that in the nearly 100-year history of the tournament, FIFA has sold a total of 44 million tickets, adding that the recent surge alone could fill the equivalent of 300 years of past World Cups. Fans from the United States submitted the highest number of requests, followed by those from Germany and the United Kingdom.

The prices have drawn sharp criticism from supporters and fan organizations, who argue they exclude everyday fans from the event. Tickets for group-stage matches are three times more expensive than comparable games at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, with the cheapest...