FIFA president Gianni Infantino has been a constant presence during the opening week of the 2026 World Cup, appearing across all three host countries as he sought to attend multiple matches per day, according to the report. His original plan was to attend two games a day as often as possible, clocking significant air miles aboard his private jet, though the report says he did not quite meet that goal.
Infantino was in the United States the week before the tournament, where he helped paint the lines at the New York/New Jersey stadium that will host the July 19 final, according to the report. He then began his match tour on June 11 at Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium for the opening ceremony and Mexico’s victory over South Africa.
He flew to Guadalajara to watch South Korea’s 2-1 win over Czechia (295 miles), then crossed the border to Los Angeles for the United States’ opener against Paraguay (329 miles), where the report notes he met singer Justin Bieber. On June 13 he traveled up the California coast to San Francisco to see Qatar face Switzerland (313 miles), a trip described in the report as a 505km journey, before flying northwest to Vancouver for Australia’s match with Türkiye (822 miles).
On June 14, rather than attend World Cup fixtures, Infantino flew from Vancouver to Miami (2,805 miles) to address FIFA members at the Executive Football Summit 2026, held at the Ritz-Carlton South Beach, the report says. He returned to match duty on June 15 in Seattle to watch Belgium play Egypt (2,733 miles) and held a meet-and-greet with a group of Seattle Mariners and Seahawks players.
Later on June 15 he went back to Los Angeles for Iran’s 2-2 draw with New Zealand (961 miles). The report says his itinerary is being tracked as part of a broader effort to chart what his social media mission statement calls: “Living football, uniting the world through football and making football truly global.”
