FIFA President Gianni Infantino amassed nearly 60,000 miles and over 100 hours in the air during the 2026 World Cup, crisscrossing North America for matches, meetings, and appearances across 16 cities in three countries. An Associated Press analysis of flight logs, photos, and social media posts reveals his travel—enabled by a Qatar-government Gulfstream G650 jet—could circle the globe 2.5 times by the tournament’s end.

Infantino’s World Cup travel by the numbers

The 2026 edition, the most geographically sprawling in history, saw Infantino attend at least one match at every venue, with Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium his most-visited at five games. His itinerary included stops in New York for a Fox & Friends interview, Miami for a FIFA summit, and a detour to Doha for Qatar’s former emir’s funeral before returning for the semifinals.

Flight data from FlightAware shows the Gulfstream averaged over one flight per day, with multiple days exceeding three. Thunderstorms delayed a planned New Jersey-to-Miami flight for the third-place match, per the FAA. The jet relied on major airports but also used smaller facilities like Atlanta’s Fulton County Executive Airport.

  • 104 matches: Record number of games in the tournament, spread across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
  • 16 venues: Infantino attended at least one match at each, with five in Miami.
  • 344 minutes: Longest flight (Miami to Seattle) matched the duration of three full World Cup matches.
  • 28 minutes: Shortest flight (Seattle to Vancouver) equaled a sitcom episode with commercials.
  • 60,000 miles: Total distance flown, excluding the Qatar funeral trip—more than round trips between New York-Singapore, Los Angeles-Doha, and London-Perth combined.

Climate concerns amid FIFA’s sustainability pledges

FIFA has committed to halving World Cup-related carbon emissions by 2030 and reaching net-zero by 2040. However, researchers argue this expanded tournament—requiring extensive air travel for teams, fans, and officials—may be the most carbon-intensive in history. The organization did not respond to requests for comment on Infantino’s travel arrangements.

His busiest day came on June 26: a morning flight from Miami to Dallas, then to Seattle for Egypt-Iran, before an overnight return to Miami for Colombia-Portugal the next day. The analysis stops at the semifinals, with the final in New Jersey still ahead.