FIFA President Gianni Infantino defended steep World Cup ticket prices on Wednesday, saying the organisation followed legal advice and warning that lower official prices would feed secondary markets and scalpers.
Speaking at a rare Q&A on the eve of the expanded 48 nation tournament, Infantino noted FIFA’s list prices start at about USD 140 for group matches while premium final seats reached tens of thousands of dollars. He said FIFA has offered 130,000 tickets at USD 60 to national federations for regular supporters after heavy criticism.
“If we do something wrong, then probably everyone selling tickets in North America is doing something wrong,” Infantino told reporters, arguing the average ticket price across the tournament is under USD 500 and comparable to major U.S. sporting events’ playoff pricing. He dismissed investigations by state attorneys general as routine, saying FIFA vetted its sales plans with top lawyers and welcomes any probe.
Infantino defended FIFA’s position that restricting official low prices would shift revenue to secondary markets rather than to football. He pointed to high resale prices for marquee U.S. events such as the NBA Finals and the Stanley Cup to argue that rising prices are a wider market phenomenon.
On other issues, Infantino said FIFA had been unable to secure entry for Somali referee Omar Artan, who was denied admission at Miami airport over unspecified vetting concerns. “We don’t control everything. We try. We’ll discuss, we will speak, we’ll see. Maybe sometimes it’s good as well to just chill, relax,” he said.
Infantino also praised FIFA’s work to ensure Iran’s participation, noting the team relocated its training camp to Mexico before flying into the U.S. He called bringing Iran to play in America a success amid difficult circumstances.
He lauded U.S. political support for staging the tournament, saying it would have been “impossible” without engagement from the U.S. administration. FIFA projects about USD 11 billion in tournament revenue and, Infantino said, could have generated far more if it had maximised paywalls.
Infantino, president since 2016 and expected to seek another term next year, reiterated that FIFA will cooperate with authorities and defend its decisions. He kept an empty chair at the briefing to highlight Christophe Gleizes, a French reporter jailed in Algeria.
(Inputs from AP)