‘Will personally bring a hot dog’: FIFA President defends World Cup 2026 ticket prices amid fan backlash

Fans across the United States, Canada and Mexico have expressed frustration over soaring prices for the expanded 48-team tournament, with some resale listings for the final at MetLife Stadium touching an eye-watering $2.3 million.

Facing growing criticism, FIFA President Gianni Infantino defended the pricing strategy during an appearance at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, arguing that the costs reflect the realities of the American entertainment market.

“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 he has a great experience,” Infantino joked while addressing the controversy at the Milken Institute Global Conference.

Behind the humour, however, FIFA is facing serious questions over affordability, transparency and whether football’s biggest tournament is becoming increasingly inaccessible for ordinary fans.

FIFA bets big on dynamic pricing model

For the first time in World Cup history, FIFA is using dynamic pricing, a system where ticket prices rise and fall depending on demand.

Infantino defended the approach by pointing to the scale of interest surrounding the tournament.

According to FIFA, the organisation has already received around 500 million ticket requests for the 2026 World Cup, a massive jump compared to the combined 50 million requests recorded for the 2018 and 2022 editions.

The FIFA chief argued that the US sports market operates differently from most football nations, where fans routinely pay hundreds of dollars for premium sporting events.

“We are in a developed entertainment market,” Infantino said, adding that resale prices in the US often climb far beyond FIFA’s original pricing.

FIFA also claims that roughly 25% of group-stage tickets are priced below $300. However, critics argue that marquee fixtures involving host nations, the United States, Mexico and Canada, remain far beyond the reach of average supporters.

Some Category 1 tickets for the World Cup final are reportedly priced between $7,875 and $32,970 before resale markups.

The controversy has intensified because resale platforms have listed tickets at exponentially higher prices, with several final tickets appearing online for over $1 million.

A commercial boom and a fan dilemma

From FIFA’s perspective, the numbers underline the tournament’s enormous commercial power.

The 2026 World Cup will be the biggest edition in history, featuring 48 teams and matches spread across North America. Sponsorship revenue, hospitality sales and broadcasting deals are all expected to hit record levels.

But the ticket pricing controversy highlights a deeper challenge for FIFA: balancing commercial ambition with fan accessibility.

For many supporters, the World Cup has long represented a rare chance to watch international football’s biggest stars on the grandest stage. As prices continue to climb, concerns are growing that the experience is becoming less about fans in the stands and more about maximising revenue.

Infantino also used the discussion to question the United States’ football standing despite its global sporting dominance.

“I do not understand how you can be satisfied to be number 20 in the number one sport in the world,” he said, referring to the US men’s national team’s FIFA ranking.

Whether fans agree with FIFA’s economic logic or not, one thing is already clear, the business of the 2026 World Cup is set to be as closely watched as the football itself.