FIFA president sparks outrage, refuses to lower World Cup ticket cost: ‘Robbing us’
Jul 6, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; FIFA President Gianni Infantino in attendance of the Mexico game against the United States during the 2025 Gold Cup Final at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which is set to kick off next month, soccer fans in the United States and across the world have been expressing outrage over the ticket prices, which are considerably higher than they have been for previous World Cup tournaments.
However, FIFA President Gianni Infantino has no plans to change those prices, much to the displeasure of fans. During a recent appearance at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, Infantino defended the high ticket prices, claiming 24% of tickets for group stage matches were priced under $300 and claiming that it was impossible to watch a U. S.
college game for less than $300. “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 said, via The Times . “And this is the World Cup.
” This, of course, is completely untrue, even generously assuming Infantino is discussing college football and not college soccer. While the average ticket price of some high-level college football games can indeed exceed $300, that is the exception, not the rule. Tickets for most college football games start at around $30.
As for the implication that professional sporting events are even more expensive, that’s also completely untrue. Major League Baseball tickets can be routinely purchased for under $20 throughout the country. General admission at Major League Soccer matches is typically under $50.
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