FIFA DEFENDS WORLD CUP TICKET PRICES

In response to the high prices, Infantino says revenues are reinvested in football

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FIFA president Gianni Infantino defended controversial ticket prices for the 2026 World Cup, revealing that organisers have received a record 150 million requests for tickets in the past two weeks.

Speaking at the World Sports Summit in Dubai on Dec 29, he stressed that the revenue earned from next year’s tournament scheduled to be held in the United States, Mexico and Canada would be pumped back into football around the world.

Infantino’s comments were his first public remarks since the ticketing furore erupted earlier in December, with fan groups branding ticket prices as “extortionate” and “astronomical”.

They range from US$140 (S$180) to US$2,735 for group-stage matches, and from US$4,185 to US$8,680 for the final on July 19 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

FIFA, football’s world governing body, later responded to the criticism by announcing that a portion of tickets on sale would be priced at US$60.

“In the last few days, you’ve probably seen there is a lot of debate about ticketing and ticket prices,” Infantino told the Dubai conference on Dec 29.