FIFA defends record World Cup prices as 48-team tournament opens
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has defended the 2026 World Cup’s pricing model as the expanded tournament opens in North America, turning a sporting format change into a wider test of football’s commercial limits. FIFA says the tournament now covers 48 teams and 104 matches across the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19. Infantino said tickets start at $140 for group-stage games, while AP’s review of FIFA listings found regular final seats rising into five figures and hospitality seats far higher. FIFA says it has also offered 130,000 lower-priced tickets to national federations and expects at least $11 billion in tournament revenue. For Belgium, the issue is practical as well as symbolic: Belgian fans following the Red Devils in Group G face a tournament shaped by transatlantic travel, high prices and late-night viewing at home.
Verified by Validiris·📚 6 sources·🧠 AI-checked·🇧🇪 Belgian: MediumWhy you can trust this
About this story
FIFA (world football’s Zurich-based governing body, founded in 1904) owns the World Cup’s commercial rights and tournament rules. Gianni Infantino (FIFA president since 2016, re-elected in 2019 and 2023) has made expansion and revenue growth central to his tenure. The 2026 FIFA World Cup (the men’s tournament hosted from June 11 to July 19, 2026) is the first edition with 48 teams and 104 matches, according to FIFA’s tournament material. Donald Trump (United States president, in his second term since January 2025) chairs the White House World Cup task force for the U.S. host role. The United States, Canada and Mexico (the three co-host countries) share the tournament, with most matches in the U.S. Belgium’s Red Devils (Belgium’s men’s national football team) are in Group G with Egypt, Iran and New Zealand, according to FIFA’s published schedule.
How to read this story
The history
FIFA’s commercial turn did not begin in 2026. FIFA’s Council approved expansion to 48 teams in January 2017, and FIFA later moved from a proposed 80-match format to 104 matches. The 2022 Qatar World Cup already tested football’s tolerance for political controversy, winter scheduling and human-rights scrutiny. AP’s comparison of FIFA price ranges shows the 2026 tournament has moved sharply above Qatar-era ticket levels, while FIFA says the larger prize-money and team-support package reflects the cost of playing across North America. The 1994 U.S. World Cup also commercialised the sport in a major U.S. market, but on a much smaller format.
The bigger picture
The tournament sits inside a politically charged U.S. hosting environment. Trump chairs the U.S. World Cup task force, while FIFA’s leadership has stressed cooperation with the White House on access, security and logistics. That matters because the U.S. hosts most matches, and immigration, policing and international tensions can shape who can attend even when the sporting format is global.
Why now
The issue is timely because the World Cup opened on June 11 and Infantino defended ticket prices on the eve of the first match. Belgium’s own tournament begins within days, making price, access and scheduling questions immediate for Belgian fans.
What to watch
Watch whether FIFA releases more lower-priced national-federation tickets before Belgium’s June 15, June 21 and June 26 group matches, whether state-level U.S. ticket probes gain traction, and whether visible empty seats appear at high-priced fixtures outside marquee games.
Local impact
The clearest Belgian local effect will be in football venues, cafes and fan homes rather than a single commune. Belgian sports bars in Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent, Liege and Leuven can expect Red Devils demand, but late west-coast kick-offs may shift the tournament from public square viewing toward evening or night-time hospitality planning.
International angle
This is a North American World Cup with a European audience problem. FIFA’s calendar gives Belgium a west-coast group, linking Belgian fans to venues in Seattle, Los Angeles and Vancouver. The tournament also tests whether European football cultures accept U.S.-style price segmentation when the event claims to be the world’s shared sporting stage.
What this means for you
Belgian fans considering travel should treat official prices and resale listings as moving targets and budget for long-haul flights, west-coast accommodation and local transport. Fans staying in Belgium should check match times carefully: the Group G geography means domestic viewing will depend as much on time zones as on sporting interest.
What happens next
Belgium’s first Group G match is scheduled against Egypt in Seattle on June 15, followed by Iran in Los Angeles and New Zealand in Vancouver, according to FIFA’s schedule. Prices and resale availability could continue shifting before each match. The knockout-round picture starts forming after the group stage ends on June 27.
Potential consequences
If stadiums stay full and global audiences remain high, FIFA will read 2026 as proof that a larger, more expensive World Cup can still command mass attention. If empty seats, fan resentment or legal scrutiny grow, the organisation may face pressure to rebalance affordability before future tournaments. For Belgium, the immediate consequence is simpler: following the Red Devils in person becomes a high-budget trip, while domestic viewing becomes the more realistic mass experience.
Opposing perspectives
- FIFA / Gianni Infantino
Infantino argues that FIFA’s pricing reflects the North American sports market and keeps more value inside football rather than letting secondary sellers capture it. He also points to FIFA’s lower-priced allocation through national federations as evidence that the organisation is trying to preserve access while managing exceptional demand.
- Supporters and consumer-access advocates
Fan-access critics argue that the tournament’s public identity is being stretched by premium pricing, long-distance travel and FIFA-controlled resale mechanics. Their strongest case is that a World Cup gains legitimacy from mass participation, not only from sold-out finals or record revenue.
- Participating federations
Some national federations’ concern is less about ticket optics than operating costs. FIFA’s Council increased basic payments and preparation support after federations warned that North American travel, lodging and tax exposure could leave teams financially squeezed unless they progressed deep into the tournament.
Timeline
- 2017-01-10·FIFA’s Council approved expansion of the men’s World Cup to 48 teams from 2026.
- 2023-03-14·FIFA confirmed the 2026 format would use 12 groups of four and 104 matches.
- 2026-04-28·FIFA’s Council increased support payments to participating federations for North American costs.
- 2026-06-10·Gianni Infantino defended World Cup ticket prices in Mexico City before the opening match.
- 2026-06-11·The 2026 World Cup opened in Mexico.
- 2026-06-15·FIFA’s schedule lists Belgium’s opening Group G match against Egypt in Seattle.
Related to this story
Live connections from the Belgium Impulse ecosystem — not recommendations.
This briefing was prepared with AI assistance and reviewed by a Belgium Impulse editor before publication. methodology.