FIFA President Gianni Infantino on Monday defended the ticket prices for the 2026 World Cup, citing what he described as unprecedented demand, with organisers receiving around 150 million ticket requests within the first two weeks of sales.
Speaking at World Sports Summit in Dubai, Infantino said the strong demand highlighted the global appeal of the tournament, which will be jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.
He added that all revenues generated from the World Cup would be reinvested into football development worldwide.
His remarks marked his first public response since criticism over ticket pricing emerged earlier this month, with several fan groups describing the prices as “extortionate” and “astronomical.”
FIFA later sought to address the concerns by announcing that a limited number of tickets would be available at prices starting from $60.
Infantino told the conference that FIFA had put six to seven million tickets on sale and received an overwhelming response in a short period.
He said most ticket requests had come from the United States, followed by Germany and the United Kingdom.
He noted that FIFA had sold a total of 44 million World Cup tickets over the tournament’s 100-year history, contrasting that figure with the surge in demand for the 2026 edition, which he described as “absolutely crazy.”
Infantino also emphasised FIFA’s role in redistributing World Cup revenues, saying the funds support football development in many countries around the world.
Meanwhile, Football Supporters Europe (FSE), one of the strongest critics of FIFA’s pricing strategy, said earlier this month that ticket prices for the 2026 tournament were nearly five times higher than those for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
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