Gianni Infantino Defends 2026 World Cup Final Ticket Prices With Hot Dog And Coke Pledge

FIFA president Gianni Infantino defended the resale prices for the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, joking that he would personally deliver “a hot dog and a Coke” to any supporter willing to pay $2 million for a ticket.

“FIFA president Gianni Infantino has defended World Cup ticket prices, insisting that football’s global governing body was obliged to take advantage of laws in the United States that allow tickets to be resold for thousands of dollars above face value”

Al Jazeera

Infantino made the remarks at the Milken Institute Global Conference on Wednesday, after seats for the final at MetLife Stadium were listed on FIFA’s resale platform for nearly $2.3 million each.

Al Jazeera

He said, “If some people put on the resale market some tickets for the final at $2m,” it does not mean the tickets cost $2m or that someone will buy them.

The dispute has intensified as the tournament expands to a 48-team format, with supporters also facing inflated hotel and travel costs across the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Infantino argued that ticket pricing reflects demand and the “US market,” while FIFA resells tickets through its official platform and charges fees on transactions.

WION said FIFA is reselling tickets and that “some of the tickets of the final are prices at a whopping $2.3 million,” and it also noted that FIFA charges 15 per cent each from the buyer and seller as purchase and selling fee.

BBC

The Great Yarmouth Mercury reported that FIFA’s resale website advertised four tickets to the final for $2.3million each, while also stating that FIFA would take a 15 per cent purchase fee from each buyer and a 15 per cent resale fee from each seller.

Infantino also tied his defense to US resale rules, saying, “We have to look at the market,” and “we have to apply market rates.”

Beyond the final’s resale listings, FIFA adjusted its resale rules for matches in Toronto after Ontario introduced legislation banning ticket resales above face value.

“Foot Africa All News World Cup 2026 2026 World Cup: Gianni Infantino gives a sarcastic response to ticket prices 2026 World Cup: Gianni Infantino gives a sarcastic response to ticket prices Gianni Infantino reacts once again to the controversy over World Cup 2026 tickets World Cup 2026 Yesterday at 20:10”

Foot-Africa

Punch Newspapers said tickets for the six matches at Toronto Stadium were removed from the official marketplace last week in response to the Canadian province’s passage of the 2026 ‘Putting Fans First Act’.

It added that tickets at the other 15 venues can still be listed above face value on the marketplace, but “all tickets in Toronto, including those previously bought at above-face-value prices, will now only be sold at their original price.”

Infantino’s broader defense of market pricing came alongside claims about affordability elsewhere, including that around 25% of group-stage tickets are available for less than $300 and that “You cannot go to watch in the US a college game” for less than $300.