FIFA chief Infantino defends World Cup ticket prices

FIFA chief Infantino defends World Cup ticket pricesEye-watering prices reflect demand to watch the World Cup in the US, Infantino says, amid increasing criticism from fans.FIFA president Gianni Infantino has defended World Cup ticket prices, insisting that football’s global governing body was obliged to take advantage of laws in the United States that allow tickets to be resold for thousands of dollars above face value.Speaking at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills on Tuesday, Infantino said the eye-watering prices reflected demand to watch the World Cup.FIFA has faced searing criticism over the cost of World Cup tickets, with fan organisation Football Supporters Europe (FSE) branding the pricing structure “extortionate” and a “monumental betrayal”.FSE filed a lawsuit with the European Commission in March targeting FIFA over “excessive ticket prices” for the tournament.FIFA’s own World Cup resale website, FIFA Marketplace, last week advertised four tickets to the July 19 final in New York at a cost of more than $2m each.“If some people put on the resale market, some tickets for the final at $2m, number one, it doesn’t mean that the tickets cost $2m,” Infantino said.“And number two, it doesn’t mean that somebody will buy these tickets,” Infantino said. “And if somebody buys a ticket for the final for $2m, I will personally bring him a hot dog and a Coke to make sure that he has a great experience.”(Al Jazeera)Fan groups have contrasted the difference in price of tickets for this summer with the Qatar World Cup in 2022.The most expensive ticket for the final in 2022 was about $1,600 at face value, while in 2026, the most expensive ticket for the final is about $11,000 at its original price.