Advertisement
Infantino hails FIFA World Cup 2026 as a landmark achievement ahead of historic final
19th July, 2026 01:12 PM
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has praised the FIFA World Cup 2026 as an unprecedented success, describing it as an unforgettable global celebration ahead of the final between Spain and Argentina at New York New Jersey Stadium.
Speaking during a breakfast meeting with executives from FIFA’s 211 Member Associations in New York City on Saturday, July 18, 2026, Infantino said the tournament’s final would not only determine the next world champions but also conclude what he believes has been the greatest edition of the competition ever staged.
Celebrating the tournament
According to the FIFA President, football fans across the globe will tune in not just to witness the crowning of the champions but also to celebrate a tournament that has rewritten the history books.
“Tomorrow, we’ll hand over this trophy here to one country, and it will be a very special moment, of course, here in New York New Jersey. And we know already that tomorrow, the entire world will be watching. The entire world will be watching because, of course, they want to know who is winning the (FIFA) World Cup,” Infantino said.
He continued by highlighting the enormous impact of the tournament across the three host nations.
“But the entire world will be watching as well because this FIFA World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States has been the most incredible event in human history. Not just the biggest (FIFA) World Cup, it has been the greatest sporting, social and cultural event in humanity. I think we have to invent some new words,” he added.
The 2026 edition, expanded to include 48 teams and 104 matches for the first time, has already secured its place in football history regardless of whether Argentina claim a fourth World Cup title or Spain lift their second.
The competition has exceeded expectations in virtually every area. Attendance has reached over 6.6 million spectators across the 16 host stadiums before the final, comfortably surpassing the previous World Cup record set in the United States in 1994. Stadium occupancy has also averaged an unprecedented 99.7 per cent.
Fan enthusiasm has stretched well beyond the stadiums, with more than 8.5 million people attending official FIFA Fan Festivals in Canada, Mexico and the United States. Television audiences have reached record levels, while FIFA’s digital platforms have generated 34 billion impressions and two billion engagements through the quarter-finals. By the conclusion of the Round of 16, an estimated 5.2 billion people worldwide had interacted with the tournament in some form.
Staging large tournament
Infantino noted that many critics had questioned the feasibility of staging such a large tournament before it began but said those concerns had proven unfounded.
“You probably have read before a lot of doubts and critics, and this and that, the stadiums will be empty, and the visas will not come, the teams will not be able to play, and this and that,” Infantino said.
“And everything worked exactly the other way. We silenced all the critics. The power of the game, the magic of the game, took over. Soccer conquered America and America has become now a soccer country.”
He also credited the tournament’s atmosphere for its remarkable success.
“From an engagement – a world engagement point of view – from a community point of view, from a social point of view, from a cultural point of view, this has been a huge success, and we have seen that when people come together they want to celebrate, they want to enjoy,” the FIFA president said.
“Now the FIFA World Cup as well is, of course, it looks nice when you watch it on TV. I hope, I think, from the matches I’ve seen on TV, it definitely does. It looks beautiful when you’re there, when you’re in the stadium, when you feel this energy. By the way, did you see all these families in the stadiums? All these women in the stadiums? All this positivity in the stadiums? Fans from different parts of the world, from different countries were so excited about it.”
Infantino believes expanding the tournament has strengthened rather than weakened the quality of competition. Several debutants, including Cabo Verde, Curaçao, Jordan, and Uzbekistan, all found the back of the net during their maiden World Cup appearances. Meanwhile, seven countries reached the knockout rounds for the first time, while the tournament’s average goals per game increased to 2.91 compared to 2.69 in Qatar four years earlier.
