FIFA President Responds To Backlash Over World Cup Ticket Prices

Much like the price of FIFA World Cup tickets, FIFA President Gianni Infantino is not backing down as the global soccer tournament rapidly approaches.

For months it has been reported that FIFA is frantically trying to sell tickets for many of the games across the country but is finding the price too big a barrier to entry for many fans. While there may be conflicting information as to how bad the situation is, Infantino is willing to fight tooth and nail to defend the pricess.

In a recent interview, he defended the high prices, comparing it to college sports games which he asserts never cost less than $300 per ticket.

"We have to look at the market. We are in the market in which entertainment is the most developed in the world, so we have to apply market rates," Infantino said.

"In the U.S., it is permitted to resell tickets as well, so if you were to sell tickets at the price which is too low, these tickets will be resold at a much higher price. And as a matter of fact, even though some people are saying that the ticket prices we have are high, they still end up on the resale market at an even higher price, more than double our price."

"If some people put on the resale market some tickets for the final at $2 million, No. 1, it doesn't mean that the tickets cost $2 million, and No. 2, it doesn't mean that somebody will buy these tickets." "And if somebody buys a ticket for the final for $2 million, I will personally bring a hot dog and a Coke to make sure that he has a great experience."

"We have 25% of the group stage tickets which can be bought for less than $300. You cannot go to watch in the U.S. a college game, not even speaking about a top professional game of a certain level, for less than $300. And this is the World Cup."

Out of Touch

There's a lot to unpack there, but fans quickly pointed out how absurdly out of touch Infantino is as far as his understanding of American sports markets. Fans quickly shared a litany of evidence that college games don't come even close to costing $300 per ticket - even for some of the biggest games of the year - and neither do other major pro sports leagues.

"I attend a college football game every other Saturday in Louisville KY for 10 bucks. Literally speaking. Nobody is paying 300 dollars a seat every week," one user on X said dismissively.

"[Expletive] is he talking about? Most MLS games are like 20 bucks, and some of these [expletive] countries are worse than MLS."

"Playoff game with arguably the two best teams left in the NHL Playoffs - $187," a third pointed out.

"You absolutely do not have to apply market rates. Those markets determine how Unis invest, build their stadiums, etc. FIFA is grafting onto pre-existing infrastructure, and their pricing should reflect what it costs them to put on THIS event. SEC ticket pricing is irrelevant."

"I just went to a Diamondbacks game this week, sat behind home plate in the 100s and paid $68. A nosebleed ticket to a WC game was $600 and I had to wait 7 hours in a virtual queue to get access to it (didn't buy it). These guys ruined what would have been an amazing event."

"Lol he is basically saying, it's NOT OK for re-salers to price gouge but it's OK for FIFA to do it. What kind of logic is that?"

Even President Trump - who considers Infantino a friend - has stated that he wouldn't pay $1,000 to watch a World Cup game.

The fact of the matter is that tickets are only worth what people are willing to pay. Right now, people are not willing to pay $300, $600, $1,000 or however much FIFA is charging for these tickets. Unless they quickly make some serious changes, there's likely to be a lot of visibly empty seats during the World Cup next month.

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