FIFA chief jokes about $2 million World Cup final ticket backlash

Gianni Infantino tried to laugh off the fury over World Cup ticket prices, saying that if someone pays $2 million for a seat at the final, "I will personally bring him a hot dog and a Coke." The remark landed as FIFA faced mounting anger over pricing for the 2026 tournament, which will run from June 11 to July 19 across Canada, Mexico and the United States, with the final set for Sunday, July 19, at MetLife Stadium in New York/New Jersey.

FIFA has defended the rollout as a response to extraordinary demand. It said nearly two million tickets were sold in the first two sales phases, and that the random-selection draw phase drew 20 million ticket requests. The governing body says it uses variable pricing that can change with demand and availability, but not fully automated dynamic pricing. FIFA has also said more than 90% of its revenue is reinvested into football development around the world.

Still, the backlash has been fiercest around the message the prices send to ordinary supporters. FIFA introduced a Supporter Entry Tier priced at $60 for all 104 matches, including the final, after criticism from fan groups. FIFA says 50% of each national association’s allocation will be placed in the most affordable ranges, including the Supporter Value Tier and Supporter Entry Tier. Even so, comparisons with previous World Cups have fueled the sense that some of the cheapest 2026 final tickets remain far above what many fans paid in Qatar 2022 and earlier tournaments.

Football Supporters Europe called the pricing "extortionate" and a "monumental betrayal" of World Cup tradition. Football Supporters Europe and Euroconsumers also filed a complaint with the European Commission, accusing FIFA of abusing monopoly power and imposing opaque and unfair purchasing conditions on fans. The dispute has turned FIFA’s promise of a global tournament into a credibility test, with supporters asking whether the World Cup is still built for ordinary fans or increasingly engineered for the highest bidders.