FIFA President Gianni Infantino has traveled nearly 40,000 kilometers since the 2026 World Cup kicked off on June 11, attending matches in 15 of the 16 host cities. His whirlwind tour includes 18 flights on a private jet loaned from Qatar Airways, according to tracking by the sports fan account Sickos Committee.
Infantino was in Toronto on Tuesday night to watch Croatia defeat Panama in a Group L match at Toronto Stadium. He shared a luxury box with Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and posted a tribute to Luka Modric, who made his 200th appearance for Croatia.
Tracking Infantino's Flights
The Sickos Committee account on X mapped Infantino's flights, tallying 23,289 miles (37,480 km) as of Monday. That distance is just shy of Earth's circumference of 24,901 miles (40,075 km). The total does not include his flight from New York City to Toronto for Tuesday's match, which adds about 589 km.
Infantino has attended games in Mexico City, Guadalajara, Monterrey, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Vancouver, Seattle, Kansas City, Houston, Atlanta, Miami, Philadelphia, Boston, New York-New Jersey, and Toronto. The only host city he has yet to visit is Dallas, which still has six matches remaining, including Sweden vs. Japan on Thursday.
Private Jet Loan from Qatar Airways
According to a report by The Guardian, Infantino is using a private jet on loan from Qatar Airways, a World Cup sponsor. The jet allows him to attend multiple matches in different cities on the same day. On Monday, he was in Philadelphia for the France vs. Iraq match, which was delayed by lightning, and then flew to see Norway vs. Senegal at New York-New Jersey Stadium. On Friday, he attended Brazil vs. Haiti in Philadelphia and Morocco vs. Scotland in Boston, with only 30 minutes between the final whistle of the first match and kickoff of the second.
Environmental Criticism
Infantino's extensive travel has drawn criticism on social media. One user called it "elite climate hypocrisy at its finest during World Cup 2026." Another estimated the fuel consumption at 20,000 to 22,000 gallons, costing roughly $140,000. FIFA has not commented on the environmental impact of the president's travel.
