FIFA president Gianni Infantino said Wednesday that he does not regret the choice of the United States as co-host of the 2026 World Cup, and defended his organization amid controversies surrounding visas, ticket prices and Iran’s participation in the tournament.In a wide-ranging, hour-long news conference on the eve of the World Cup opener in Mexico City, Infantino admitted that “you cannot organize an event of such magnitude in a perfect way.” He essentially argued that situations like that of Somali referee Omar Artan and the Iranian team’s difficulties had left FIFA helpless.“It’s true we are confronted with challenges we’d rather not confront,” Infantino said. “We have to deal with them. Sometimes we can solve them, and sometimes we can’t.”Regarding Artan, who was denied entry by United States authorities last weekend due to “vetting concerns,” Infantino said: “It is unfortunate what happened to Omar, the referee from Somalia. But again, we don’t control everything. We try, we’ll discuss, we’ll speak, we’ll see.”In response to the criticism that both FIFA and the U.S. have received for not finding a way to allow Artan to participate, Infantino added: “Maybe sometimes it’s good as well to just chill, relax. We work on everything. We try to solve everything. Sometimes to immediately start screaming and shouting has the opposite effect of finding a solution.“We are not the kings of the world who can rule over governments and police forces. We are a sports organization. We do our best with the means that we have to do as much as possible.”Unprompted, Infantino later clarified his comment that people should “chill” before criticizing. “When I say chill, I don’t mean to chill and do nothing,” he said. “I mean to trust us, that we are working behind the scenes, we are trying to understand, and there are things we can know, things we cannot know. Things we are told, things we are not told. And we always try to make the situation as positive as possible, and to find solutions. Sometimes we manage, other times not.”When asked by the BBC about Artan being sent back home and accused by the U.S. government of having links to suspected terrorist groups, Infantino referenced the 2035 Women’s World Cup coming to the United Kingdom. He asked rhetorically: “Would you find it normal that FIFA would dictate to the British government who to let in the country and who not to let in the country?”“The reality of the matter,” he added, is that visas can be difficult to obtain. “It’s not easy” to process and “vet” hundreds of thousands of accredited people, Infantino argued.“Unfortunately, our world is a very aggressive world,” he said. “And security goes above everything. And you need to respect the decisions which are taken.”Artan has been denied access to the United States (Hector Vivas – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)When asked by a South African journalist whether he regretted the choice of the U.S. as co-host of this World Cup, given the challenges posed by President Donald Trump’s administration and policies, Infantino said: “No, I don’t regret anything.” He argued that there are always “issues” when organizing big events, and that the ones surrounding this World Cup are are “probably” not as big as the ones surrounding the last men’s World Cup, in Qatar in 2022.“It’s normal for an event of this magnitude,” he said.With the final question of the news conference, Infantino was asked about his relationship with Trump. He gave a measured answer, not quite as effusive as the one he gave last November, when he lauded Trump and defended Trump’s record as president.“I have a great relationship with President Trump,” Infantino said Wednesday. “Without his engagement and involvement, it would have been impossible to organize a World Cup in the United States. He understood immediately the magnitude of the World Cup, the impact of the World Cup, and instructed the administration to help and assist.“Now, you are speaking about the biggest power in the world. Of course, there are certain things that need to be taken into account,” Infantino continued, referencing earlier questions about visas and security. “But to be able to exchange with the president on important topics, to put everything on the table, without asking for anything, but trying to explain — (that) is the key to having a positive relationship. That’s the way I see it.”On the subject of tickets, Infantino reiterated many of FIFA’s talking points over the past year. He compared the World Cup and its ticket prices to American sports playoffs, including the ongoing NBA finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs.Citing the World Cup’s greater television viewership, he argued that “the World Cup is much, much more important” than the NBA finals, and yet the ticket prices are comparable.“If we are doing something wrong, then probably everyone selling tickets in North America is doing something wrong,” Infantino said.He also addressed the investigations launched by the attorneys general of multiple U.S. states into FIFA’s ticketing practices. He said FIFA was “very relaxed” and unconcerned.And finally, he urged journalists and viewers to also cover the positive and celebratory sides of the World Cup.“If you want to criticize me, criticize me, that’s fine, it’s OK,” he said. “But promote the unity of the World Cup. Promote people coming to the World Cup and feeling those emotions that all of you have been feeling when you were children, and you can still feel them now. Because we want to unite the world.”