LOS ANGELES: FIFA president Gianni Infantino said the high market rate for match tickets in the US justified the ticket prices in next month’s World Cup, citing high demand for match tickets in the resale market.

FIFA received 500 million requests for tickets to the showpiece event and media reports said last month that some tickets for the tournament’s final, set for July 19 in New Jersey, are up for resale at over $2 million each.

“If some people put on a secondary resale market some tickets for the final at $2 million, number one, it doesn’t mean the ticket costs $2 million,” Infantino said at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

“Number two, it doesn’t mean that somebody will buy these tickets. Actually, if someone buys a ticket for $2 million, I will personally bring them a hot dog and a coke to make sure he has a great experience.”

Ticket prices for the World Cup have seen a considerable increase from the 2022 edition in Qatar. Tickets for the final in July range from $2,030 to $6,370, significantly hig­her than the final in Doha, priced from $206 to $1,607.

FIFA has faced calls from several groups to lower ticket prices, including from US lawmakers. Due to backlash over prices, FIFA introduced a small number of $60 tickets tucked high in the top corners of stadiums, limited in number compared to the other categories.

“We are in that market in which entertainment is the most developed in the world, so we have to apply market rates,” Infantino said. “In the US, it is permitted to resell tickets as well. If you were to sell tickets at a price which is too low, these tickets would be resold at a much higher price.

“We have 25% of the group stage match tickets that can be bought for less than $300. In the US, you cannot go to watch a college game... of a certain level for less than $300. And this is the World Cup.”

Published in Dawn, May 7th, 2026