Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA, defended World Cup ticket prices on Tuesday, arguing that the international governing body of football was required to exploit US regulations that permit tickets to be resold for thousands of dollars more than face value. Football Supporters Europe (FSE), a supporter organization, has called FIFA's World Cup ticket prices "extortionate" and a "monumental betrayal" in response to the organization's harsh criticism. FIFA was sued by FSE in March by the European Commission for "excessive ticket prices" for the competition.
Last week, four tickets to the July 19 final in New York were listed for more than $2 million apiece on FIFA's own World Cup resale website, FIFA Marketplace.Speaking at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, Infantino claimed that the exorbitant costs were a reflection of the demand for World Cup viewing.First of all, it doesn't imply that the tickets cost $2 million if some people sell them on the resale market for $2 million, according to Infantino.Furthermore, it does not guarantee that someone will purchase these tickets, according to Infantino. "And if somebody buys a ticket for the final for $2 million I will personally bring him a hot dog and a Coke to make sure that he has a great experience."

Fans have drawn comparisons between the cost of tickets for this summer and the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
The most costly final ticket in 2022 was approximately $1,600 at face value, and the most costly ticket in 2026 was approximately $11,000 at the time of purchase.
Infantino insisted that the sharp rise in face-value prices was warranted.We must consider the market, which is the most advanced in the world when it comes to entertainment. Therefore, we must use market rates," Infantino stated.

"Reselling tickets is also allowed in the United States. Therefore, if you sell tickets at a price that is too low, they will be resold at a much higher price.In actuality, even though some individuals claim that our ticket prices are excessive, they ultimately wind up on the resale market for more than twice as much.
FIFA received more than 500 million ticket requests for 2026, compared to less than 50 million for the World Cups in 2018 and 2022, according to Infantino.
Twenty-five percent of the group phase tickets cost less than $300, the FIFA boss continued.

"You cannot go to watch in the US a college game, not even speaking about a top professional game of a certain level, for less than $300," Infantino stated. "And this is the World Cup."