FIFA President Gianni Infantino has projected a massive financial windfall from the 2026 World Cup, stating that the tournament is expected to generate more than $11 billion in revenue for FIFA while delivering an estimated $30 billion economic boost to the United States.

Speaking in an interview with CNBC, Infantino disclosed that FIFA has already received over one million ticket requests for 77 out of the 104 matches scheduled across the United States, Canada and Mexico this summer.

FIFA maintains that the applications are genuine and validated through credit card data, although critics argue that automated bots may have inflated the figures.

The football chief made the remarks during an appearance at the World Liberty Forum, an invite-only event hosted at U.S. President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

Pricing Backlash

Despite the unprecedented demand, FIFA’s ticketing strategy has drawn criticism.

Addressing affordability concerns, Infantino argued that strong demand indicates pricing is not a barrier.

“Every match is already sold out,” he said, though FIFA later clarified that he meant the tournament is expected to sell out rather than tickets being fully exhausted at present.

Beyond primary ticket sales, FIFA stands to generate additional revenue through its official resale platform, where it charges a 15 per cent commission to both buyers and sellers, further strengthening the tournament’s commercial upside.

Infantino added that ticket requests have come from more than 200 countries, underscoring the global commercial appeal of the expanded 48-team tournament. (BusinessDay)