Infantino Defends World Cup Ticket Prices With ‘Hot Dog and Coke’ Joke
FIFA president Gianni Infantino says soaring resale prices do not reflect official World Cup ticket costs.
- Infantino joked about delivering a hot dog and Coke to $2m ticket buyers.
- Some World Cup final tickets were listed for nearly $2.3m on resale platforms.
- FIFA says official ticket prices are comparable to major US sporting events.
Gianni Infantino has defended ticket prices for the upcoming FIFA World Cup, joking that he would personally deliver “a hot dog and a Coke” to anyone who purchases a final ticket priced at $2 million.
The FIFA president made the remarks while responding to criticism over the high cost of tickets for the tournament, which will run from June 11 to July 19.
Several tickets have appeared on FIFA’s resale platform at extremely high prices, including four seats behind the goal for the final in New Jersey that were recently listed for nearly $2.3 million each.
Infantino clarified that the resale prices do not reflect FIFA’s official ticket costs and noted that there is no guarantee anyone will actually buy tickets at those prices.
Speaking at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, he argued that ticket pricing for the tournament is comparable to major sporting events in the United States.
He explained that US laws allow ticket resales, which often lead to prices rising far beyond their original value. According to him, some tickets initially sold by FIFA at lower prices are later resold for more than double the amount.
Infantino also pointed out that 25 percent of group-stage tickets are available for less than $300, insisting that the prices are reasonable for an event of the World Cup’s scale.
He compared the cost to attending college sports games in the US, stressing that the World Cup is one of the biggest sporting events globally.
