Gianni Infantino is aiming to attend two World Cup fixtures a day by using a private jet. He has already moved from Mexico City to Guadalajara, then to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Vancouver, Miami, Seattle and Los Angeles again as the tournament has spread across 16 cities in three countries.
On June 11, Infantino was in Mexico City for Mexico and South Africa at the Azteca and later in Guadalajara for South Korea in the Czech Republic. The next day he watched the U.S. national team against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, a route that takes just over an hour by air over 285 miles.
Mexico City and Guadalajara
That first day set the pattern. Infantino began in Mexico City for the opening match, then went to Guadalajara for another fixture later on June 11. The following day he was in Los Angeles, showing how compressed the travel has become when matches are spread across multiple host cities.
He kept the same pace on Saturday, when he watched Qatar and Switzerland in San Francisco in the afternoon and then Australia and Turkey in Vancouver that evening. On Sunday he shifted again, attending a FIFA Summit at the Ritz Carlton on South Beach in Miami before leaving by black SUV with a police motorcade.
FIFA Summit in Miami
Infantino arrived at the summit in the morning in a black SUV with a police motorcade and left the same way in the afternoon. By Monday afternoon he was in Seattle for Belgium and Egypt, then later that night in Los Angeles for Iran and New Zealand. The schedule points to a travel plan built around speed, not distance.
FIFA sources said it is important for Infantino to attend as many matches as possible, and that flying is the fastest and most efficient way to do it because the World Cup is being played in 16 cities across three countries. A FIFA statement said travel is sometimes organized on commercial airlines and sometimes on private charter depending on what is more efficient and cost-effective, and that FIFA pays travel costs.
Climate message and private charter
That travel logic sits uneasily next to FIFA's own sustainability strategy, which says it wants to raise awareness of climate change and promote responsible consumption among relevant stakeholders. John Hocevar said that extreme heat is already an issue at this World Cup for players and fans alike, and that daily flights on highly polluting private jets do not send the message that FIFA recognizes its responsibility to be part of the solution.
The hosting agreements also allow charter jets for members of the FIFA Council, senior delegates and executive guests, and private jet travel is described as reserved for heads of state and international dignitaries. The open question is who arranged and paid for each of Infantino's flights during the tournament, because the itinerary shows a FIFA President moving from city to city at a pace that ordinary matchgoers cannot match.
Jorge Campos to represent Gianni Infantino at Mexico vs Corea del Sur in Guadalajara fits the same travel pattern and shows how quickly the tournament has forced FIFA's top official across the map.
