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Analysis
- 25 Dec 2025
Infantino dismisses World Cup ticket price criticism: 'We could fill 300 tournaments!'
Martin Macdonald
- 29 Dec 2025 11:01 CST
- 6 min read
Nieuws
Gianni Infantino has claimed that FIFA has received 150 million ticket applications for the 2026 World Cup.
The next edition of the tournament will take place in the United States, Canada and Mexico and will feature 48 nations, an increase on 32 from the previous World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
Even though a ball hasn't been kicked, the 2026 World Cup has been shrouded in controversy and one of the main reasons for the negativity is the price of tickets.
FIFA has dynamic pricing in place which means increased demand leads to a significant increase in prices.
Group stage matches are, on average, three times as expensive as the last World Cup, while the cheapest ticket for the World Cup final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey is £3,119.
The Football Supporters' Association (FSA) described the pricing as "scandalous".
Infantino has brushed aside these criticisms by outlining the numbers of ticket requests FIFA has received for the tournament.
"We have six to seven million tickets on sale and in 15 days we received 150 million ticket requests," the FIFA president said at the World Sports Summit in Dubai on Monday.
"So 10 million ticket requests every single day. It shows how powerful the World Cup is.
"In the almost 100 years of the World Cup, Fifa has sold 44 million tickets in total. So, in two weeks we could have filled 300 years of World Cups. Imagine that. This is absolutely crazy."
The FIFA president also insisted that the money earned from ticket sales will be reinvested in the infrastructure of the game all over the world.
"What's crucial is that the revenues that are generated from this are going back to the game all over the world," he explained.
"Without Fifa there would be no football in 150 countries in the world. There is football because, and thanks to, these revenues we generate with, and from, the World Cup which we reinvest all over the world."
Supporter Entry Tier tickets
FIFA previously announced a new Supporter Entry Tier that will see ticket prices capped at $60 for fans of qualified countries.
"The entry tier tickets will be allocated specifically to supporters of qualified teams, with the selection and distribution process managed individually by the Participating Member Associations (PMAs)," FIFA has announced.
"Each PMA will define its own eligibility criteria and application process. They are requested to ensure that these tickets are specifically allocated to loyal fans who are closely connected to their national teams."
FIFA says that only 10 per cent of the allocated PMA tickets will be in the Supporter Entry Tier. 40 per cent will be sold in a "Value Tier," with prices roughly corresponding to the Category 3 tickets available to the general public (around $265 for a group stage game).
$727 million will be awarded to the participating nations based on their final position at the finals, also.
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