FIFA President Gianni Infantino has defended the ticket prices for next year’s FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, citing unprecedented global demand and the importance of revenues generated for the development of football worldwide.
Speaking on Monday at the World Sports Summit in Dubai, Infantino said the surge in ticket requests underscored the tournament’s global appeal, despite criticism from fan groups over prices that were significantly higher than those at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
“We have six to seven million tickets on sale, and in just 15 days we received 150 million ticket requests,” Infantino said. “That’s about 10 million requests every single day. It shows how powerful the World Cup is.”
He added that the scale of demand was unprecedented in the tournament’s history. “In almost 100 years of the World Cup, FIFA has sold 44 million tickets in total. In two weeks alone, we could have filled 300 years of World Cups. This is absolutely crazy,” he said.
In response to concerns about affordability, FIFA recently introduced a $60 ticket category aimed at making matches more accessible to fans from countries that have qualified for the tournament.
Infantino revealed that fans from the United States submitted the highest number of ticket requests, followed by Germany and the United Kingdom.
Addressing criticism over pricing, the FIFA president stressed that World Cup revenues play a vital role in sustaining football globally. “What’s crucial is that the revenues generated go back into the game all over the world,” he said. “Without FIFA, there would be no football in 150 countries. Football exists in these places because of the revenues we generate from the World Cup and reinvest worldwide.”
Meanwhile, Infantino also announced that Dubai will host the FIFA Best Awards ceremony next year. The annual event recognises outstanding men’s and women’s players, coaches and teams, based on votes from fans, media representatives, national team captains and coaches.
“I can announce a new partnership to honour the best players, coaches and teams here in Dubai,” Infantino said. “We have enjoyed the sport, and now we will enjoy even more the unity the sport brings to the entire world.”
At the 2025 FIFA Best Awards, France forward Ousmane Dembélé was named Men’s Player of the Year, while Spain midfielder Aitana Bonmatí claimed the Women’s Player of the Year honour.
Melissa Enoch
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