FIFA President, Gianni Infantino, has strongly defended ticket pricing for the 2026 World Cup, insisting that costs are fair despite growing criticism over eye-watering prices and wider controversies surrounding the tournament.
Speaking in Mexico City on Wednesday, Infantino argued that fans still have access to affordable tickets, citing a limited number of low-cost options made available.
“Let me just say that our entry price, which is 60 dollars, is the lowest entry price of any of the American sports in the play-off phases,” Infantino said.
“Our average price which is below 500 dollars is again the lowest of the American sports on average.”
The FIFA chief also pushed back against criticism of tournament organization, as the World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, prepares to kick off on Thursday with 48 teams competing in the biggest edition in history.
The tournament runs until the final in New Jersey on July 19 and is projected to generate a record-breaking $13 billion in revenue.
However, preparations have been overshadowed by concerns over visa and immigration restrictions in the United States under President Donald Trump, with reports of a referee, Iranian team officials and some fans being denied entry.
Infantino also addressed the case of Somali referee Omar Artan, who was refused entry into the United States after arriving in Miami due to security concerns raised by US immigration authorities. FIFA confirmed he will not take part in the tournament.
“It is unfortunate what happened to the referee from Somalia,” Infantino said.
“We don’t control everything… Sometimes it’s good to chill, relax, we work on everything, we try to solve everything.
“Sometimes to immediately start screaming and shouting has the opposite effect of finding a solution.”
He further defended Iran’s participation amid geopolitical tensions involving the United States, describing it as a success for FIFA’s efforts.
“People were saying Iran couldn’t come to the World Cup,” Infantino said. “There are challenges, it’s not easy, but I don’t know who else would have been able to ensure in these circumstances, which we could not influence, Iran could come and play.”
Infantino’s relationship with US President Donald Trump has also drawn scrutiny, but he insisted Trump’s involvement was crucial to staging the tournament in the country.
“Without his engagement and involvement, I think it would have been, simple as that, impossible to organize a World Cup in the United States,” Infantino said of Trump.
Trump confirmed on Wednesday he plans to attend some World Cup matches, without giving details.
“I spoke to Gianni this morning… he said there’s never been anything close” to the success of the coming tournament, the US leader said.
On the pitch, attention turns to the opening match at the iconic Estadio Azteca, where co-hosts Mexico face South Africa under intense atmosphere.
South Africa coach Hugo Broos warned his players to expect a hostile environment in the 85,000-seat stadium.
“They will have 85,000 Mexicans shouting and singing. But we have to focus on our game. And if we can do that… then we can have a good game,” the Belgian said.
Mexico, meanwhile, are aiming to break their long-standing curse of never winning an opening World Cup match despite multiple attempts. Coach Javier Aguirre said he would use the statistic as motivation.
“We have to break the statistic,” Aguirre said. “I’m going to share (that fact) with the players. It will be another source of motivation.”
South Korea and the Czech Republic complete the opening-day fixtures in Guadalajara, as the tournament begins its month-long global showcase.
Elsewhere, Spain, France and England are among the favourites, while defending champions Argentina will rely heavily on 38-year-old captain Lionel Messi to lead their title defence.
