Overview
- FIFA president Gianni Infantino has been using a private jet provided by sponsor Qatar Airways to move between match sites and is pursuing a schedule of up to two matches per day, including trips that began with the opening game on June 11.
- Reporters tracked him at early matches in Mexico City, Guadalajara, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Vancouver and at a FIFA summit in Miami, showing rapid cross‑country movement within the tournament’s first days.
- The 2026 World Cup is spread across 16 stadiums in the United States, Mexico and Canada, covering four time zones and distances up to about 2,800 miles between venues, which makes air travel the dominant form of in‑tournament movement.
- Climate analysts cited in coverage estimate the event could emit roughly 9 million tons of CO2, with about 7.7 million tons from air travel, and critics say frequent private flights by officials add to those emissions.
- FIFA says travel choices are organized case‑by‑case for efficiency and that it pays travel costs, but there has been public and media scrutiny of the optics and potential pressure for clearer travel rules or stronger emissions measures going forward.