Gianni Infantino is making arrangements to attend two matches daily throughout the World Cup, despite the considerable distances between venues.
The FIFA president has access to a private jet, courtesy of Qatar Airways, as part of its sponsorship agreement with FIFA. This resource will facilitate his travels across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
After being present at the tournament’s opening match in Mexico City last Thursday, Infantino quickly proceeded to Guadalajara to witness South Korea’s win over Czechia. The following day, he was in Los Angeles for the USA’s 4-1 victory against Paraguay, and later attended games in San Francisco and Vancouver on Saturday, where Qatar faced Switzerland, followed by Australia taking on Turkey.
Infantino did not attend any matches on Sunday, as he was in Miami hosting a FIFA summit attended by representatives from the 211 member associations. He returned to Los Angeles that evening to see Iran’s opening game against New Zealand.
FIFA sources have confirmed that Infantino aims to watch two matches daily whenever feasible, despite the demanding travel schedule. The 56-year-old previously managed to attend all 64 matches of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where the maximum distance between stadiums was just 46 miles.
Challenges of Current Tournament
This year’s World Cup spans across four time zones and three countries, with stadiums as far apart as 2,800 miles.
Infantino’s travel itinerary will exceed that of any other participant in the tournament. Among the teams, Bosnia and Herzegovina is facing the toughest travel demands during the group stage, covering 3,144 miles from Toronto to Los Angeles and Seattle, while also returning to their training camp in Salt Lake City between matches.
Environmental Concerns
The extensive travel associated with this World Cup has led the New Weather Institute to label it as “the most polluting event ever” estimating that it will generate approximately 9 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. Air travel is responsible for about 7.7 million tons of this estimate, which is over four times the average emissions from World Cups held between 2010 and 2022.
