Infantino’s hot dog & soft drink pledge over $2m ticket

Fifa president Gianni Infantino has said he will “personally bring a hot dog and a Coke” to anyone who buys a World Cup final ticket for $2m.

The high ticket prices for this summer’s tournament have been the subject of significant criticism, but Infantino joked if a ticket was sold for such a price he would make the delivery to make sure the supporter “has a great experience”.

Numerous tickets for the tournament have been listed for five-figure fees on Fifa’s resale platform, while last month four tickets behind the goal for the final in New Jersey were listed for just under $2.3m (£1.693m) apiece.

“If some people put on the resale market some tickets for the final at $2m, number one, it doesn’t mean that the tickets cost $2m, and number two, it doesn’t mean that somebody will buy these tickets,” Infantino said.

He has consistently defended prices for the tournament and has said they are in-line with other sporting events in the United States.

“In the US, it is permitted to resell tickets as well, so if you were to sell tickets at the price which is too low, these tickets will be resold at a much higher price,” Infantino said on Tuesday at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills.

“And as a matter of fact, even though some people are saying that the ticket prices we have are high, they still end up on the resale market at an even higher price, more than double our price.”

“We have 25% of the group stage tickets which can be bought for less than $300.”

Infantino suggested that was comparable with going to a “college game” in the US, adding “and this is the World Cup”.

Infantino’s statement came as Fifa updated its ticket resale platform so that World Cup matches in Toronto could only be sold for their original price.

The change is to comply with the Ontario government’s recent ban on reselling event tickets above face value.

Tickets for the six matches at Toronto Stadium were removed from the official marketplace last week in response to the Canadian province passing its 2026 ‘Putting Fans First Act’.

Tickets at the other 15 venues can still be listed above face value on the marketplace, but all tickets in Toronto, including those previously bought at above face value price, will now only be sold at their original price.

Fans attending the World Cup in the United States are facing significant costs, with tickets, hotels and transport all inflated for the duration of the tournament.

BBC Sport found that an England fan would need to spend £6,500 to attend their country’s group stage matches.