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FIFA president Gianni Infantino is justifying World Cup ticket prices by claiming they’re cheaper than what it costs to see a college football game.
Speaking at the Milken Institute Global Conference on Tuesday, Infantino said that 25% of group stage match tickets cost less than $300.
“You cannot go to watch in the U.S. a college game, not even speaking about a top professional game of a certain level, for less than $300,” Infantino said. “And this is the World Cup.”
A FIFA spokesperson tells Front Office Sports Infantino was referring to college football, not soccer, specifically the playoffs and championship games.
College football tickets in the U.S. are widely available below the $300 mark, even in the postseason. Last season, resale tickets to first-round and quarterfinal games cost less than $300. One day before the Cotton Bowl, the get-in price was $28.
The College Football Championship was more expensive. Resale tickets for the title game eclipsed $3,000.
FIFA has been blasted for its high prices throughout the World Cup sales phase, which started last fall. While FIFA did respond to backlash with a supporters tier at $60, most tickets for fans in the U.S. cost hundreds or thousands of dollars. Tickets to the final in New Jersey on July 19 crossed $10,000 in early April.
Infantino in his remarks also stressed that FIFA is a nonprofit, and the World Cup funds all other FIFA activities globally for the next four years.
“We are in a market in which entertainment is the most developed in the world. So we have to apply market rates,” Infantino said. “In the U.S., it is permitted to resell tickets as well. So if you were to sell tickets at the price which is too low, these tickets would be resold at a much higher price.”
Infantino addressed the high prices for resale tickets on FIFA’s official platform, stressing that his organization does not control those prices. FIFA takes a 15% cut from both the buyer and seller of any transaction on the platform.
“If some people put on a secondary, on the resale market some tickets for the final at $2 million, number one, it doesn’t mean that the tickets cost $2 million, number two, it doesn’t mean that somebody will buy these tickets,” Infantino said. “Actually, if somebody buys a ticket for the final for $2 million, I will personally bring him a hot dog and a Coke to make sure that he has a great experience.”
