With the 2026 World Cup approaching, the main topic for fans is the high ticket prices. Some matches have astronomical prices, which is not a problem for FIFA president Gianni Infantino because people are still buying them. At a recent event, he even made an unfortunate joke.
Infantino said: “We are in a market where entertainment is the most developed in the world. That’s why we must apply market prices. If some people put on the resale market, some tickets for the final at $2m, it doesn’t mean that the tickets cost $2m. It doesn’t mean that somebody will buy these tickets. And if somebody buys a ticket for the final for $2m I will personally bring him a hot dog and a Coke to make sure that he has a great experience.”
This came in response to what was recently seen on the institution’s official website. The site showed four tickets for the final for sale at a price of two million dollars each. While the product on the field could be great, the prices are keeping some people away.
Infantino on the World Cup of 48 teams
The most notable change this World Cup will see compared to every edition since France 1998 is the number of teams, which was increased from the usual 32 to 48 in a decision that created many logistical issues.
Infantino made the change to 48 teams (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
This time there may be even more matches with huge differences as weaker teams are going to be participating compared with past editions, but the president raised the topic to suggest he would like more champions.
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Infantino said: “We don’t want investors to invest in just one place. We want real competition because that’ll help everyone grow. I want 50 countries to be world champions from the 211 that FIFA groups.”
Infantino on the United States’ lack of success
The FIFA president spoke at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Los Angeles. His comments were also directed at the lack of success in soccer that the United States has.
Infantino said: “The United States is the number 1 country in the world in practically everything it does: finance, economy, everything. I don’t understand how it can settle for being number 20 in the world’s number 1 sport.”
