Building on last week's record over 500 million ticket requests, FIFA president Gianni Infantino warned at the World Economic Forum in Davos that prices on resale platforms could skyrocket due to overwhelming demand and U.S. legal allowances, with final tickets listed up to $230,000—prompting fresh backlash from fans.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada across 104 matches, continues to see unprecedented ticket demand. Following FIFA's January 19 announcement of over 500 million requests in the initial sales phase—equivalent to 1,000 years of past World Cups' total sales—president Gianni Infantino addressed resale challenges at the World Economic Forum in Davos. He noted, “In 100, almost 100, years of World Cup history, FIFA sold around 50 million tickets in total. Now for this World Cup in four weeks [on sale], we have the request for 1,000 years of World Cups at once. This is unique. It’s incredible.”
Infantino highlighted that resale is legal in the U.S., stating, “In the U.S. it was perfectly legal to resell tickets on resale platforms... So we have to of course allow that.” On FIFA's official resale site, where it takes a 30% cut, a Category 1 final ticket at MetLife Stadium (July 19) reached $230,000, versus face value up to $8,680 under dynamic pricing; the lowest was $16,000 this week.
Football Supporters Europe (FSE) has intensified criticism, calling it a “monumental betrayal,” with executive director Ronan Evain alleging profit-driven resales. In response to prior backlash, FIFA allocated $60 tickets per match to national federations (about 10% per nation). This differs from 2022 in Qatar, where resale was more controlled. Infantino defended the model, emphasizing reinvestment in football and strong demand from the U.S., Germany, and England—just over four months before kickoff on June 11.
