Ticket prices have become the most enduring story of the World Cup so far, outstripping the marketing of star players, looming concerns over immigration policies and maybe most notably, the sport itself.
With his organization under fire for both its pricing and its clunky multi-stage rollout, FIFA boss Gianni Infantino addressed the topic last week in his most direct way yet. He chose to do so, fittingly, at the Milken Institute Global Conference, an event where tickets can cost $50,000. Yes, despite the uproar, it’s cheaper to buy pretty much any World Cup ticket than it is to see Infantino speak live about World Cup tickets.
In a 30-minute conversation on stage in Beverly Hills, Calif., last Tuesday, Infantino defended his organization’s approach to tickets by mentioning the size of the U.S. economy and its spending capacity.
“We have to look at the market,” Infantino said. “We are in the market in which entertainment is the most developed in the world, so we have to apply market rates.”
It’s a money-first approach that seems in direct opposition to Infantino’s constant remarks about FIFA’s imperative to improve access to soccer to people of all types—in all corners or the world, for people of any age, gender and economic status.
