FIFA President Infantino flies over 93,000 km in private jet during World Cup, emitting 813 tons of CO2

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has flown more than twice around the Earth during the 2026 World Cup in North America, using a private jet to attend nearly half of the tournament's 104 matches. Data from Flightradar24, analysed by the German magazine Spiegel, shows that the Qatar Airways-sponsored aircraft covered 93,524 kilometres between the host nations of the United States, Mexico and Canada up to the semi-final stage. The flights produced almost 813 tonnes of carbon dioxide.

The flights: 93,524 km and 813 tonnes of CO2

Infantino, 59, was a regular presence in stadiums across the three countries, often attending two matches on the same day thanks to the speed of his private jet. By the end of the World Cup, he is expected to have watched roughly half of the 104 games. The jet's total distance of 93,524 km is equivalent to more than two full circuits of the equator. The CO2 emissions of nearly 813 tonnes were calculated from the flight paths recorded by Flightradar24. The aircraft, provided by Qatar Airways as part of its sponsorship deal with FIFA, enabled Infantino to move rapidly between venues, but the frequent short flights between nearby cities added significantly to the fuel burn.

Comparison to average emissions

The scale of the emissions becomes clearer when set against national averages. Switzerland's Federal Office for the Environment (BAFU) puts the country's per capita CO2-equivalent emissions at about 15.5 tonnes per year. Infantino's World Cup air travel alone exceeded that annual figure by a factor of 52. In other words, his flights during the tournament produced as much CO2 as 52 average Swiss residents would generate in an entire year. The comparison does not include the two long-haul trips to Doha, which would push the total even higher.

The Doha detour and positioning flights

The 93,524 km total does not include two additional long-haul journeys. After the quarter-finals, Infantino flew from Miami via Madrid to Doha and back to Dallas to attend the funeral of Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the former Emir of Qatar who had brought the 2022 World Cup to the country. Those flights were not part of the Spiegel analysis. The jet also made several very short positioning flights, sometimes covering only a few kilometres, to move between airports and stadiums more efficiently. Such short hops are particularly fuel-intensive because take-offs and landings consume disproportionately more kerosene. In some cases, the aircraft may have been repositioned without Infantino on board, simply to have it ready at a different airport.

Broader private jet surge at the World Cup

Infantino's travel pattern was not an isolated case. The World Cup triggered a sharp increase in private jet activity across North America. Before the tournament began, the data provider WingX forecast an additional 73,200 flight movements linked to the event. Aviation expert Heinrich Großbongardt described the scale of private flying as unprecedented.

Something like this has never happened before in this form.

Environmental scrutiny

The carbon footprint of the 2026 World Cup has drawn attention beyond Infantino's personal travel. The tournament's expansion to 48 teams and 104 matches, spread across a vast geographical area, has intensified the debate about the sustainability of mega-sporting events. While FIFA has promoted offset programmes, the data on the president's own flights has provided critics with a concrete example of the event's environmental cost. The many take-offs and landings, combined with the sheer distance, made the private jet's emissions particularly high.