By Kwame Bediako
FIFA President Gianni Infantino boldly declared all 104 matches of the 2026 FIFA World Cup “sold out,” even as tickets remain available before the June 11 kickoff.
Speaking to CNBC from US President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, Infantino oozed confidence in the unprecedented hype for the expanded 48-team extravaganza across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Demand has shattered records, with 508 million ticket requests flooding in from over 200 countries during just four weeks of the main sales phase in January, for roughly seven million tickets.
“The demand is there. Every match is sold out… (We’ve) never seen anything like that, incredible,” Infantino marveled. He revealed FIFA strategically held back some tickets for a final sales phase starting in April, running through the July 19 finale.
Ticket prices have sparked backlash from fans calling them “exorbitant,” but Infantino pinned it on market dynamics, especially in North America.
“Everybody wants to be part of something special,” he said.
“Ticket prices have been fixed but you have, in the US in particular, something called dynamic prices, meaning the prices will go up or down. You are able as well to resell your tickets on official platforms… That’s part of the market we are in”; he added.
Financially, the tournament promises a windfall, with Infantino forecasting over $11 billion in revenue for FIFA, every dollar reinvested into football across its 211 member associations.
He also touted a massive $30 billion boost to the US economy via tourism, catering, security, and more. “It’s a big impact… I hope this impact will not just be limited to the World Cup but for the future as well.”
