Greed outshines ‘the Beautiful Game’

There has always been an unspoken agreement between FIFA and soccer/football/fútbol fans when it comes to the World Cup: FIFA tacitly acknowledged the cost of travelling to a host country to follow a team, as well as the travel between host cities to follow said team, and ticket prices to games were held in check.

When I went to South Africa for the 2010 World Cup, I paid about $2,500 for the flights to Johannesburg, but the tickets were priced reasonably, so I was able to attend three matches, including a round of 16 match between Mexico and Argentina, truly an unforgettable experience.

The ticket to that memorable match was the most expensive one I paid for: $400. Adjusted for inflation, it would now be $610.

That pilgrimage to the 2010 World Cup was decades in the making, as my parents are from Chile. They were kids when the World Cup was held in that country in 1962. My Dad told me many stories about that World Cup.

It became my dream to see Chile play in the World Cup. I thought about going to France in 1998, but I was in my early university years and thought I’d wait for the next one. Lo and behold, Chile didn’t qualify again until our “golden generation” of players made it in 2010 and I wasn’t going to miss it, no siree.

Several of my childhood friends purchased team packages, with flights, lodgings and match tickets in different cities included in one package. It was expensive, but not out of reach. And South Africa welcomed us with open arms.

That’s the goal of true fútbol fans: we want to follow our teams and support them with everything we have. That’s why I used the word “pilgrimage” — because that is exactly what it is.

Sadly, for the 2026 edition, now being played at venues in Canada, Mexico and the United States, FIFA — and especially its president Gianni Infantino — has effectively annihilated its unspoken agreement with fans.

Utter greed is at the heart of this World Cup, and it has shown up as utter stupidity on the part of FIFA to think that it could treat the 104 matches of this tournament as “104 Super Bowls.”

At a news conference on June 10, the day before the tournament began, Infantino tried to justify the high cost of the tickets, stating that there were 130,000 “Category 3” tickets available at $60. That’s an exceedingly low number over 104 games. And it certainly doesn’t justify ticket prices of $3,135, $2,300 and $1,370 for the June 12 match between Canada and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

And then there is the U.S., which will go down in World Cup history as one of the worst host countries in the history of the tournament. In the days leading up to the 2026 World Cup, innumerable fans criticized the U.S. for its ham-fisted actions regarding players, team officials, referees and fans from many nations, even Europe — as fans from Scotland found out when their tourist visas were revoked.

There were so many controversies provoked by the U.S. administration that it affected the excitement for the World Cup in its co-host countries, Canada and Mexico. How could it not, when the main host country acts like a petty child who doesn’t want anyone showing up for their birthday party?

The next World Cup will be held in Spain, Portugal and Morocco — countries that know fútbol and know what will be required of them as hosts.

FIFA, however, will face the tremendous task of winning back trust after this 2026 debacle that not only upset traditional fans, but put others off from flocking to embrace “the Beautiful Game.”

Seeing empty seats in the stands has been a gut punch for me, as I’m sure it has been for other longtime fans. We know that all those seats would have been filled had greed not won out at this tournament. I was ecstatic to be able to nab one of those Category 3 tickets for Canada’s first match in Toronto, to support this country I love so much. The game will be a highlight experience of my life, but seeing empty seats, especially around the first level of the stadium, broke my heart.

If you had told me in 2010 there could be a worse FIFA president than Sepp Blatter, I would have said it’s not even remotely possible — yet here we are. For this, Infantino should be removed from his post.

The Beautiful Game deserves much better than FIFA.

Longtime fans have known this for many years. Now there’s little doubt left.

Bernice Pontanilla is a fútbol fanatic, thanks to her grandfather, and a former Winnipeg journalist.