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0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. FIFA President Gianni Infantino addressed criticism of his leadership and his organization of this year's World Cup in a defiant message on social media, accusing critics of being "consumed by hate" and inviting them to "meditate, pray or watch a football match."
The 56-year-old Swiss football administrator, who has served as FIFA's president since 2016, has come under fire over extremely high ticket prices, his cozy political alignment with U.S. President Donald Trump, awkward logistical hurdles and visa tensions.
In a 15-slide post published on his personal Instagram account to 5.7 million people and cross-posted on FIFA's official account, which counts more than 8 million followers, Infantino dismissed the criticism.
The post opens with an image of the World Cup's halftime show on July 19—a Super Bowl-inspired novelty for the final—at New York New Jersey Stadium, showing a giant "LOVE" message that had appeared on the pitch to end the performances.
"To everyone who missed our beautiful game, the emotions, the celebrations, the laughter, the crying, the deception, and the joy. To all of you who missed watching kids, babies, grandparents, and parents come together for the beautiful game, I say sorry that the matches are now over and sorry that you missed all that joy and togetherness," Infantino wrote.
"Sorry that you were so consumed by hate and criticism that you missed it all," he added.
"To those behind their pens and papers, behind their screens spreading hate and false rumors, I want to say that while you are sitting behind, we at FIFA are on the front lines organizing, working hard, and delivering the best show in the world," he continued. Newsweek has contacted FIFA for comment via contact form on Monday outside standard working hours.
The FIFA president has not given a news conference since the tournament ended, so this marks his first official response to some of the 2026 World Cup's most controversial moments. Below is a breakdown of his comments.
Infantino first addressed criticism that the World Cup's security was not managed well, including concerns over potential terrorism, erupting fan violence and the impact of extremely hot weather on players and the audience. The FIFA president wrote that the tournament—which was hosted across the U.S., Mexico and Canada—"experienced no violence, no incidents, 100 percent safety and security, only joy and happiness."
He said, "Seven million people from over 200 countries enjoyed the tournament across 16 fantastic cities and stadiums," reiterating that there were "zero incidents, zero hostility, zero violence."
While a Kansas City highway shooting spree on June 16 injured an Uber driver transporting Argentina supporters to a World Cup match, police said the incident was unrelated to the tournament, and Infantino did not mention it in his post.
This year's World Cup quickly made headlines over its eye-watering ticket prices, with the most expensive reaching upward of $39,000 for the final. For many fans across the world, such rates—on top of plane tickets and accommodation costs—meant they were priced out of the tournament.
In the months leading up to the World Cup, Infantino brushed off these concerns. He said in February, "We keep some tickets back for some last-minute sales, of course, but every match is sold out."
However, days before the tournament began on June 11, there were reports of thousands of tickets still available and plunging prices.
Without addressing ticket sales, Infantino said in his social media post that "billions worldwide watched the FIFA World Cup from home" and that "every city was packed with fans from all around the globe."
One of the biggest criticisms of this year's World Cup was that one of its three co-hosts was at war with a participating country. On February 28, the U.S. launched strikes against Iran, sparking an ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Before the tournament began, it was unclear whether the Iranian team would be allowed to participate at all, but FIFA confirmed that Iran would compete after qualifying.
Still, several members of the Iranian delegation faced visa and entry complications, including midfielder Mehdi Torabi, whose U.S. visa status had to be resolved before later matches .
Iran abandoned plans to base itself in Arizona and instead operated from Mexico, requiring repeated cross-border travel into the U.S. for matches. Iran's captain, Mehdi Taremi, described the tournament as a "disaster World Cup" because of the logistical burden placed on the team. Iran's coach, Amir Ghalenoei, said in a news conference that his team was "the most oppressed" at the tournament, citing visa issues, staff shortages and travel restrictions.
In his post, Infantino wrote, "Iran entered the United States without incident or conflict." He added: "It's not about politics. Football is about unity, not division. Football is bigger than hate and discrimination."
While members of Iran's delegation—including officials and support staff— faced visa denials , delays or travel restrictions ahead of the World Cup, the tournament's visa controversies extended far beyond the Islamic Republic.
Referees, federation officials, support staff and fans from other countries were likewise affected. Arguably, the most glaring, or most discussed, example was the denial of entry to Omar Abdulkadir Artan , a Somali FIFA referee who was barred from entering the United States after arriving in Miami.
Of the visa issues surrounding the tournament, Infantino wrote, "Countries facing serious health issues or other challenges were granted visas." He added that critics "mentioned the few people denied visas and overlooked the millions who were approved, from all parts of the world."
Infantino appeared to address the controversy around FIFA'...
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