FIFA President Gianni Infantino has sparked outrage among British football fans by downplaying the criticism surrounding ticket prices for the upcoming 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada, and Mexico. In a jab at his home country's fans, he quipped that there was "similar noise" around the Qatar World Cup, only to make a jocular remark about Brits being arrested during the tournament.
Infantino's comments came after FIFA was forced to abandon its initial pricing structure for the 2026 World Cup, which represented a massive increase of almost 500% compared to the previous edition in Qatar. The move sparked widespread criticism from fan groups and accusations of a "betrayal" of supporters.
The cheapest ticket available under the original structure would have cost £134 for fans attending England's opening group game against Haiti, while tickets for the more highly-anticipated match between England and Croatia would have set back fans at least £198. However, in a climbdown, FIFA announced that a limited number of fans would be able to pay just £45 per game, including the final, through national federations.
Fan groups remain demanding that FIFA takes further action to make World Cup tickets more affordable, particularly as the governing body is on course to rake in almost £10bn in revenue between 2023 and 2026. Many fans who applied for more expensive tickets before the price cut were feeling hard done by the sudden change.
The Football Supporters Association responded to Infantino's comments by saying that instead of making jokes about fans, he should focus on reducing ticket prices. The association pointed out that FIFA is set to make a significant profit from the tournament while many fans are struggling to afford tickets.
Infantino's comments came after FIFA was forced to abandon its initial pricing structure for the 2026 World Cup, which represented a massive increase of almost 500% compared to the previous edition in Qatar. The move sparked widespread criticism from fan groups and accusations of a "betrayal" of supporters.
The cheapest ticket available under the original structure would have cost £134 for fans attending England's opening group game against Haiti, while tickets for the more highly-anticipated match between England and Croatia would have set back fans at least £198. However, in a climbdown, FIFA announced that a limited number of fans would be able to pay just £45 per game, including the final, through national federations.
Fan groups remain demanding that FIFA takes further action to make World Cup tickets more affordable, particularly as the governing body is on course to rake in almost £10bn in revenue between 2023 and 2026. Many fans who applied for more expensive tickets before the price cut were feeling hard done by the sudden change.
The Football Supporters Association responded to Infantino's comments by saying that instead of making jokes about fans, he should focus on reducing ticket prices. The association pointed out that FIFA is set to make a significant profit from the tournament while many fans are struggling to afford tickets.
! I get it, they want to make some cash 
, but do they have to rub it in our faces? 
Gianni Infantino's comment about Brits getting arrested at the Qatar World Cup was low, mate 
. It's not funny when people can't afford to watch their team play because of outrageous prices 
. And what's with the "similar noise" remark? Are they trying to imply that British fans are always whining 
? The Football Supporters Association is spot on - FIFA should be working towards making tickets more affordable, not just cracking jokes about it 
. And £10bn in revenue? That's a lot of dosh 
he thinks makin jokes about brits who get arrested at qatar world cup is gonna diffuse the situation lol nope it just makes him sound like a total jerk 
i mean can't he see that fans are really hurtin by these ticket prices especially england fans who were gettin robbed with £134 for a ticket 
and btw i remember when the world cup was still in europe and tickets weren't so crazy expensive 
Oh man, Gianni Infantino is just trolling now! Who does he think he is making jokes about British fans being arrested during the Qatar World Cup? Like, that's not funny and it's not cool. 
. It's just not fair to the ordinary fan who wants to watch the beautiful game without breaking the bank 
. Get your priorities straight and sort this ticket price mess once and for all 
.
I think Gianni Infantino is just trying to deflect attention from FIFA's pricing mess... come on, 500% price hike? That's just outrageous! 
FIFA should be working with fan groups to make sure everyone has access to tickets, not just the wealthy ones who can afford 'em. 
. And yeah, Infantino should really focus on making tickets more affordable instead of cracking jokes about us 
The whole thing just feels kinda fishy, ya know? First they're planning to charge us Brits an arm and a leg for tickets, then suddenly they're like "oh no, we can't be mean" and slash prices. It's like they're trying to have it both ways.
️.
. It's crazy that they're raking in almost £10bn in revenue while fans can't even get a decent ticket without breaking the bank 
.
Let's look at the numbers: almost 500% increase in ticket prices? 
And FIFA is still going to make nearly £10bn? 
I'd draw a simple graph here:
. And by the way, making jokes about Brits being arrested during the tournament is super insensitive 
. I think Infantino should focus on fixing the ticket prices instead of trying to be the class clown 
.
. And let's be real, if you're gonna make a joke about one group of people being "arrested", shouldn't you at least acknowledge the valid concerns around ticket prices? The fact that they had to abandon their original pricing structure after all that drama is already pretty embarrassing for FIFA 
i'm like totally with the footy fans on this one 
... she has this awesome hydrangea bush that blooms in the summer, and I'm pretty sure it would do amazing here! Anyway, back to FIFA... have you guys noticed how some stadiums are going all fancy with the VR stuff? Like, isn't that just a bunch of overpriced tech trying to justify higher ticket prices?