SOCCER: Infantino justifies World Cup ticket prices citing high demand in resale market

FIFA president Gianni Infantino said the high market rate for match tickets in the United States justified the ticket prices in next month's World Cup, citing high demand for match tickets in the resale market.

The soccer governing body received 500 million requests for tickets to the showpiece event and media reports said last month that some tickets for the tournament's final, set for July 19 in New Jersey, are up for resale at over $2 million each.

"If some people put on a secondary resale market some tickets for the final at $2 million, number one, it doesn't mean the ticket costs $2 million," Infantino said at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

"Number two, it doesn't mean that somebody will buy these tickets. Actually, if someone buys a ticket for $2 million, I will personally bring them a hot dog and a coke to make sure he has a great experience."

Ticket prices for the World Cup being held in the U.S., Canada and Mexico have seen a considerable increase from the 2022 edition in Qatar. Tickets for the final in July range from $2,030 to $6,370, significantly higher than the final in Doha, priced from $206 to $1,607.

FIFA has faced calls from several groups to lower ticket prices, including from dozens of U.S. lawmakers.

Due to backlash over prices, FIFA introduced a small number of $60 tickets tucked high in the top corners of stadiums, limited in number compared to the other categories.

"We are in that market in which entertainment is the most developed in the world, so we have to apply market rates," Infantino said.

"In the U.S., it is permitted to resell tickets as well. If you were to sell tickets at a price which is too low, these tickets would be resold at a much higher price.

"We have 25% of the group stage match tickets that can be bought for less than $300. In the U.S., you cannot go to watch a college game... of a certain level for less than $300. And this is the World Cup."

-Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in Bengaluru;Editing by Christian Radnedge/Reuters