President of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, says all 104 matches of the 2026 World Cup are effectively “sold out,” even as tickets remain available ahead of the tournament’s June 11 kickoff.
Gatekeepers News reports that “the demand is there. Every match is sold out,” Infantino said in an interview with CNBC on Wednesday.
Speaking from US President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, Infantino revealed that FIFA received 508 million ticket requests within four weeks for about seven million available tickets.
He added that requests during the main sales phase in January came from more than 200 countries.
“(We’ve) never see anything like that — incredible,” he said, noting that football’s global governing body has retained “some tickets back” for a final sales phase beginning in April and running through to the end of the tournament on July 19.
Ticket Prices and Dynamic Pricing
Infantino also addressed criticism over ticket prices, which supporters’ associations have described as “exorbitant” and which have surged to record levels on resale platforms.
“I think it is because it’s in America, Canada and Mexico,” he said. “Everybody wants to be part of something special.”
“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, secondary markets, so the prices as well will go up.
“That’s part of the market we are in.”
Revenue and Economic Impact
Infantino projected that the expanded 48-team tournament would generate $11 billion or more in revenue for FIFA, stressing that “every dollar” would be reinvested into football development across its 211 member associations.
He also estimated that the World Cup could contribute approximately $30 billion to the US economy through tourism, catering, security investments and related activities.
According to him, in addition to seven million match-going spectators, the tournament could attract between 20 and 30 million tourists and create about 185,000 full-time jobs.
“It’s a big impact,” Infantino said. “I hope this impact will not just be limited to the World Cup but for the future as well.”
