FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s extensive use of private jet travel during the ongoing World Cup has drawn criticism from environmental groups, who accuse football’s world governing body of ignoring climate concerns amid a heavily expanded tournament schedule….
FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s extensive use of private jet travel during the ongoing World Cup has drawn criticism from environmental groups, who accuse football’s world governing body of ignoring climate concerns amid a heavily expanded tournament schedule.
Infantino has reportedly attended matches across several North American cities including Mexico City, Guadalajara, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Vancouver, Seattle, Kansas City, and Houston flying on a Qatar Airways private jet to appear at 10 games in seven days.
His frequent air travel has reignited scrutiny of FIFA leadership’s carbon footprint, particularly given earlier reports that he used the same aircraft to cover an estimated 600,000 kilometres (372,822 miles) over a three-year period, according to investigative outlet Josimar in 2024.
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The environmental impact has become more pronounced with the expanded 2026 World Cup format, which features 48 teams and 104 matches across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
A carbon assessment firm, Greenly, warned that the environmental cost of such travel is significant, stating: “Just one hour in this plane emits roughly what an average human being emits in an entire year.”
The company estimated that if Infantino continues attending matches across multiple cities through the knockout stages, his travel could generate “a defensible range of 300 to 500 tons of CO2 for his plane alone” over the course of the tournament, equivalent to “the annual footprint of around 35 to 55 French people”.
FIFA has defended the use of private aviation for its officials, saying travel arrangements are made “based on what is most efficient and cost-effective” and that the organisation bears the cost of such movements.
However, critics argue that the structure of the expanded tournament itself encourages excessive travel.
According to AFP, David Gogishvili, a geographer at the University of Lausanne, described it as a “sustainability paradox”.
“By reusing existing but geographically dispersed NFL stadiums across a continent, FIFA has created a model that is structurally dependent on high-emission air travel,” he said.
He added that FIFA leadership’s travel patterns “perfectly reflects the broader systemic issue/approach,” noting that the organisation is “normalises hyper-mobility while simultaneously shifting transport costs and carbon burdens onto the host regions and fans.”
Environmental activists have also joined the criticism. John Hocevar, Oceans Campaign Director at Greenpeace USA, said Infantino’s travel undermines FIFA’s climate messaging.
“Having executives take daily flights on highly polluting private jets doesn’t exactly send the message that FIFA recognizes either the cause or its responsibility to be part of the solution to climate change,” he wrote on Instagram.a a
