FIFA president's private jet could emit up to 500 tonnes of CO2 during 2026 World Cup

Travel marathon

In the first week of the tournament, Gianni Infantino visited ten matches across eight cities: Mexico City, Guadalajara, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Vancouver, Seattle, Kansas City and Houston. The 56-year-old Swiss was frequently accompanied by his football advisor Youri Djorkaeff. The trip was made possible by a Gulfstream G650ER private jet provided by FIFA sponsor Qatar Airways. German magazine Der Spiegel reported that the aircraft will consume over 230,000 litres of kerosene during the group stage alone. Flight tracking data on Flightradar24 matched Infantino's schedule, though FIFA did not confirm the aircraft's use to Spiegel. The president's omnipresence is not new; an investigation by Josimar in September 2024 revealed he had covered 600,000 kilometres aboard the same jet over the preceding three years.

Carbon footprint

French consultancy Greenly, which specialises in carbon accounting, calculated that a single hour in this aircraft emits roughly as much CO₂ as an average person does in an entire year. In just the first match day, the plane released approximately 200 tonnes of CO₂ into the atmosphere.

“One single hour in this aircraft emits about what an average human being emits in an entire year.”

Should Infantino continue visiting two cities per day until the round of 16 and then attend all eight quarter-finals, the total for his jet alone would fall within a 'defensible range of 300 to 500 tonnes of CO₂', according to Greenly. That is equivalent to the annual carbon footprint of 35 to 55 French citizens.

FIFA's response

FIFA defended the travel arrangements, stating that its executives choose between commercial and private flights depending on what is most efficient and cost-effective.

“The organisation pays the travel costs in all cases.”

The body insisted it had selected the most efficient travel method available, given the logistical demands of a tournament spanning three host nations.

Critics weigh in

Environmental organisations strongly criticised the use of a private jet. John Hocevar of Greenpeace USA posted on Instagram that putting leaders on private flights every day 'does not exactly send a message of climate awareness'. The tournament itself has already been under fire for its environmental toll. A 2025 study with the New Weather Institute estimated the tournament would generate around nine million tonnes of CO₂-equivalent.

Tournament's sustainability paradox

David Gogishvili, a geographer at the University of Lausanne, told AFP that FIFA had created a 'sustainability paradox'. By reusing 16 existing NFL stadiums dispersed across North America, the organisation built a tournament model structurally dependent on emissions-intensive air travel.

“FIFA has created a model structurally dependent on air transport.”

The 16 venues lie in three countries and four time zones, with roughly 4,500 kilometres between the most distant stadiums.