MEXICO CITY: FIFA president Gianni Infantino brushed off criticism over World Cup visa issues and sky-high ticket prices on Wednesday in a defiant eve-of-tournament press conference.
Speaking in Mexico City ahead of the World Cup’s opening game at the Estadio Azteca, Infantino launched a spirited defence of the organisation of the 48-team extravaganza being co-hosted by the US, Mexico and Canada.
Infantino and FIFA have come in for stinging criticism over the eye-watering costs of World Cup tickets while Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown has seen a referee, Iranian team officials and fans refused entry to the US.
Infantino insisted that tickets to the tournament — which in some cases have topped $30,000 — had been priced appropriately, citing a small number of $60 tickets that were made available in response to criticism.
“Let me just say that our $60 entry price is the lowest entry price of any American sports in the play-off phases,” Infantino said. “Our average price which is below $500 is again the lowest of the American sports on average.
“If you sell it at a lower price point, it would have gone on secondary markets at much higher prices. Every dollar that comes in goes back to the development of football.”
‘WE DON’T CONTROL EVERYTHING’
Infantino also played down the controversy surrounding Somali referee Omar Artan, who was refused entry to the US after arriving in Miami following security concerns raised by US immigration authorities. FIFA has since confirmed Artan, who the US State Department later said had “associated with suspected members of terrorist organisations,” will play no 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. We are not the kings of the world who can rule over governments and police forces. We are a sports organisation.
“Sometimes to immediately start screaming and shouting has the opposite effect of finding a solution.”
The FIFA chief said ensuring Iran’s participation despite geopolitical tensions demonstrated football’s ability to bring people together.
‘WE WANT TO UNITE THE WORLD’
The FIFA leader also portrayed Iran’s participation at the World Cup in the midst of its military conflict with the US as a victory for his organisation.“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.”
“Without his engagement and involvement, I think it would have been, simple as that, impossible to organise a World Cup in the US,” Infantino said of Trump.
“When Iran play, the stadium will be full and I hope there will be a positive atmosphere because this is football,” he said. “We want to unite the world.”
Infantino’s close relationship with US President Trump has also come under scrutiny in the build-up to the tournament. But Infantino maintained Trump had played a critical role in World Cup preparations.
In Washington on Wednesday, Trump confirmed he plans to attend some World Cup matches, without providing 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.
Infantino stressed that immigration decisions ultimately rested with national authorities.
Asked whether visa-related controversies had made him regret selecting the US as one of the host nations, Infantino said he had no regrets.
“There are issues; it’s normal for an event of this magnitude,” he said. “Some come from the US, some from Canada, some from Mexico. We deal with all of them.” The FIFA president said factors including altitude, climate, travel and the expanded format would add further unpredictability to the World Cup, before concluding: “Let the celebration begin.”
Published in Dawn, June 12th, 2026