FIFA President Gianni Infantino arrived at his Wednesday press conference in Mexico City armed with three key talking points, defending his organization on a number of contentious issues just 24 hours before the World Cup kicks off.
Mexico will take on South Africa in Thursday’s tournament opener, with co-hosts Canada and the U.S. staging their home debuts on Friday. With mere hours remaining, visa complications continue to plague fans, officials, and journalists alike, including a FIFA referee who was turned away at the border and returned to Somalia.
The administrative headaches represent just one strand of the disorder, with sky-high ticket prices and inflated travel costs adding further fuel to the controversy. Infantino has been no stranger to criticism throughout the World Cup build-up, yet Wednesday marked his first media appearance since 2023 in Mexico — coming on the heels of his demand for equal treatment to President Donald Trump, a request Canada flatly rejected.
FIFA has repeatedly touted record-breaking ticket demand for the tournament, yet thousands of seats remain unsold and are listed at outrageous prices across both official and resale platforms. Infantino stood firm, arguing that pricing reflects the U.S. market and defending the organization’s stance on accepting “legal” resale rates, as per The Mirror US.
Infantino also celebrated Iran’s participation despite ongoing tensions with the U.S., and broke his silence on referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan being denied entry to the country. Infantino addressed all three talking points before taking questions, preempting the likely topic of discussion.
Infantino ‘very happy’ Iran opted to play
“On Iran, I am very happy because I went to see the Iranian team in Turkey earlier this year. When people said it would be impossible for Iran to come to the World Cup, I told them and promised them that they would come.
“Of course, there are challenges, of course it’s not easy. I don’t know who else would have been able to ensure, in these circumstances that we can’t influence, Iran could come and play. When Iran plays, the stadium will be full. I hope it’s a positive atmosphere.
“This is football, this is about people forgetting for a moment their realities, and being able to focus on a match and a team. So, I’m very happy we managed to get Iran to come and play at this World Cup, and I’m proud of the work of my team.”
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Infantino backs World Cup ticket pricing
“We sold, until today, over 6 million tickets. There are always tickets on sale. We always need to keep some tickets for those teams who qualify for the additional rounds.
“The demand has been unprecedented. Not by a little bit, but by a factor of 10 or more (times). The number of requests has been incredible, and I want to start by thanking all the fans who bought a ticket or are buying tickets to come to the World Cup.
“The World Cup is a unique event that takes place every four years… It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience. When you are in a country, a part of the world, you need to deal with the local habits and the local customs.
“Our entry price, which is $60, is the lowest entry price of any of the American sports and the playoff phases. Our average price, which is below $500, is again the lowest of the American sports on average.
“I think we can at least compare the playoffs of an American sport with the World Cup? If you look at the final of the NBA, the Knicks against San Antonio, I dunno how many are watching on TV, 10 million maybe?”
“The World Cup will be watched by 6 billion people. So in terms of importance, the World Cup is much, much more important. The fact that when we put these tickets on sale, they go on the secondary market, which is legal here, and they sell for a much higher price, this certainly shows that the prices were accurate in terms of the way they have been determined.
“You can also imagine that these decisions aren’t just taken like someone wakes up and decides on a price. There is a lot of analysis, a lot of work, a lot of experts.
“When it comes to these legal investigations or complaints that were made in some states in the U.S., we are very relaxed about it, because before starting to sell 6 to 7 million tickets, we check what we do with the best lawyers, the best experts.
“If we do something wrong, then probably everyone selling tickets in North America is doing wrong as well.
“… what is most important, is that every dollar we generate goes back into football. If we were like everyone else in football telling our TV rights on pay TV, like everyone else, and no one gets shocked by that, then billions of people in the world would not have access to the World Cup.
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“We would generate 4 times more revenue, and we could give the tickets for the matches probably for free. They would still end up on the secondary market for thousands of dollars. So we have to strike a balance.
“For me, as FIFA president, it is important that we invest in all the countries. Where no one wants to invest. Who is investing in South Sudan, Sierra Leone, Bhutan, and Vanuatu? Nobody. We do it, and we do it thanks to the revenue that we generate.
“When it comes to ticketing in particular, and this World Cup in particular, it is also connected with events like concerts, halftime shows, and pre-match, which again are connected with the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, where we want to raise money to invest in education all over the world.
“Everywhere where there is a need is where the money goes.”
Infantino addresses banned Somali referee as ‘unfortunate’
“It is unfortunate what happened with Omar, the referee from Somalia. But again, we don’t control everything. We try, we will discuss, speak, we will see.
“Maybe, sometimes, it’s good to just chill, relax, we work on everything. We try to solve everything. Sometimes, to immediately start screaming and shouting, it has the opposite effect of finding a solution.
“Believe me when I tell you, or don’t believe me if you want, but, we try always to find solutions. Respect, we are not the kings of the world who can rule over governments and police forces, and I don’t know what.
“We are a sports organization who try to do the best with the means that we have.”
