FIFA President Gianni Infantino under fire for private jet marathon at 2026 World Cup

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FIFA President Gianni Infantino has come under sharp scrutiny after a BBC investigation revealed the extent of his private jet travel during the group stage of the 2026 World Cup. Since the tournament kicked off on June 11, Infantino has attended 24 matches across 16 host cities in three countries—the United States, Canada, and Mexico—covering a staggering 50,122 kilometers (31,144 miles) aboard a private jet.

The aircraft, believed to be a Gulfstream G650ER provided by Qatar Airways, completed 27 flights and spent more than 66 hours in the air between June 11 and June 27. The longest single leg was a 4,507 km journey from Vancouver to Miami on June 13,while Infantino’s most grueling day came on June 15, when he flew over 4,000 km from Miami to Seattle, then another 1,545 km south to Los Angeles—all to attend three matches in a single day.

A Carbon Footprint That dwarfs Ordinary Lives

The environmental cost has drawn widespread condemnation. According to BBC Verify and BBC Sport, the private jet’s group-stage travel produced an estimated 516 tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalent (CO2e)—roughly the same as the average annual emissions of 78 people. The Gulfstream G650ER burns approximately 1,817 liters of fuel per hour.

French carbon footprint firm Greenly estimates that if Infantino continues his private jet travel through the knockout rounds, his total emissions could reach 300 to 500 tonnes of CO2 for the plane alone. By comparison, a single hour on this aircraft produces roughly the same emissions as an average person does in an entire year.

Hypocrisy Accusations Amid FIFA’s Climate Pledge

The controversy is especially damning given FIFA’s own sustainability commitments. In the governing body’s 2026 World Cup sustainability and human rights strategy, Infantino declared: “Whether we speak about climate, human rights, diseases or disabilities, we are committed to play our part”.

Critics have not held back. “Having executives take daily flights on highly polluting private jets doesn’t exactly send the message that Fifa recognises either the cause or its responsibility to be part of the solution to climate change,” one commentator posted on Instagram. Environmental advocates have pointed out that the expanded 48-team tournament—featuring 104 matches, up from 64—has magnified the carbon impact of Infantino’s globe-trotting schedule.

The Logistics of a Presidential Marathon

Infantino’s itinerary reads like a logistical nightmare. On June 22, the jet flew just 148 km from Philadelphia to New Jersey—not for a match, but so Infantino could be interviewed at Fox News studios the next morning, before flying on to matches in Boston and Toronto later that day. On June 26, the aircraft took off from Miami, stopped briefly in Dallas, continued to Seattle for the Egypt-Iran match, then flew another 4,345 km back to Miami, landing the following morning.

Infantino watched his 24th and final group-stage match—Portugal vs Colombia—in Miami on June 27. With the knockout rounds now underway, the FIFA president shows no signs of slowing down.

A Tournament of Contradictions

The 2026 World Cup is already the most carbon-intensive in history, with matches spread across a continent-sized footprint. Infantino’s private jet marathon embodies the tension between FIFA’s stated climate ambitions and the realities of a globally dispersed tournament.

As the competition moves into the Round of 32 and beyond, one question lingers: can the man who promised FIFA would “play its part” on climate justify a travel habit that, in just over two weeks, produced more emissions than most people generate in a lifetime?