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Image illustrating: Gianni Infantino (editorial)
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ANALYSIS

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.

Belgium Impulse Editorial·12 June 2026·3 min read·6 sources
Key signal

Belgian football fans, families planning viewing nights, sports bars, broadcasters and anyone considering travel to North America face the concrete consequences of FIFA’s bigger, pricier World Cup model. FIFA’s schedule places Belgium’s Group G matches on the west coast of North America, which means high travel costs for away supporters and awkward Belgian viewing times. The broader question for Belgian readers is whether football’s biggest public event remains accessible when FIFA increasingly prices it like a premium U.S. sports product.

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.

Background

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 wider 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.

OIS Intelligence

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.

Opposing perspectives

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

Sources & evidence