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Infantino Defends FIFA Ticket Hikes After AG Probe

6/15/2026

Summary

Infantino Defends Pricing

Gianni Infantino defended FIFA ticket prices on June 13, 2026 after New York and New Jersey attorneys general subpoenaed FIFA for price inflation.
FIFA sold over 6 million tickets, with prices $242–$960, Category 1 seats $450, and dynamic pricing that raised costs for about 90 of 104 matches by an average 34 percent, sending U.S.–Paraguay tickets to $1,940–$2,735.
Although 29 matches sold out, Levi’s Stadium (70,000) and Guadalajara Stadium (45,664) recorded attendance 44,985.

Summary

Infantino Sets Prices

Ticket prices for the 2026 World Cup average $1,300, a 1,000% rise from $58 in 1994.
Final-match seats now start at $10,000, versus $475 ($1,069) in 1994.
Host nations contain about 200,000 ultra-high-net-worth individuals, of whom 82,500 could afford $300,000 tickets, generating $25 billion for FIFA.
Critics label the event sportswashing, citing a host leader’s annexation threat and war warning, while FIFA President Gianni Infantino offers no charitable plan for revenue.

History

Historical Context

FIFA awarded the 1978 World Cup to Argentina on 6 July 1966, and the tournament ran from 1 to 25 June 1978 under the National Reorganization Process military junta. The regime spent roughly $700 million on stadiums and used the event for propaganda, while human-rights groups such as the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo protested. Critics see the 2026 ticket-price surge as a modern echo of that sports-washing strategy.

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Infantino Defends Pricing

Gianni Infantino defended FIFA ticket prices on June 13, 2026 after New York and New Jersey attorneys general subpoenaed FIFA for price inflation.
FIFA sold over 6 million tickets, with prices $242–$960, Category 1 seats $450, and dynamic pricing that raised costs for about 90 of 104 matches by an average 34 percent, sending U.S.–Paraguay tickets to $1,940–$2,735.
Although 29 matches sold out, Levi’s Stadium (70,000) and Guadalajara Stadium (45,664) recorded attendance 44,985.

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