Infantino's 15,000 km private jet marathon draws World Cup carbon criticism

Infantino began on Thursday, June 11, with the opening match between Mexico and South Africa in Mexico City, then travelled 465 km to Guadalajara for South Korea vs Czech Republic. The next day he flew 2,000 km north to Los Angeles for USA vs Paraguay. On Saturday he went to San Francisco for Qatar vs Switzerland, then to Vancouver for Australia vs Turkey. Sunday involved a 4,500 km round-trip to Miami for a FIFA summit with representatives of all 211 member nations. On Monday he was in Seattle for Belgium vs Egypt, then back to Los Angeles, 1,500 km away, for Iran vs New Zealand. In total, seven flights across five days.

Infantino has the jet for the entire competition under a Qatar Airways sponsorship contract, according to the Guardian. FIFA sources say he aims to attend two matches a day whenever his schedule allows, which will further inflate his travel. The 16 stadiums are spread over nearly 4,500 km. The New Weather Institute, a think tank pushing for rapid transition to a just, planet-bound economy, calls the 2026 World Cup "the most polluting event in history", estimating it will generate about 9 million tonnes of CO₂.