NEW YORK — FIFA President Gianni Infantino defended high ticket prices for the 2026 World Cup in North America during a speech at Semafor's annual world economy summit in New York on April 17, 2026. He said the tournament is the governing body's sole source of revenue and that proceeds are redistributed to member nations to support the sport.

"The main, and so far the only, revenue-generating event for FIFA is the World Cup," Infantino said at the summit. He added that the tournament's financial model requires the organization to stretch a single month of income across the following four years.

"The World Cup takes place one month every four years, so we generate money in one month. The 47 months until the next World Cup, we spend that money," he said.

Infantino described FIFA as a nonprofit with 211 member nations and said most of them rely on its financial support. "Three-quarters of [those countries] probably would not be able to have organised football without the grants we could give them. So we always try to find the right balance," he said.

On StubHub on April 17, 2026, the cheapest ticket for the United States opener on June 12 against Paraguay was listed at $1,359, with lower bowl seats at the Los Angeles venue priced up to $14,000. For the World Cup final in the New York area on July 19, a single upper deck ticket was listed at $8,860 and a lower bowl seat at $25,000. FIFA introduced a $60 ticket option for a small portion of seats at each venue.

Infantino said he has lived in the U.S. for the past two to three years to better understand what he called a very special market for the sport.

The 2026 World Cup will feature 48 teams organized in 12 groups of four, with games staged across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The tournament will consist of a record 104 matches.