Infantino’s jet spree torches World Cup’s green claims
FIFA’s ‘greenest World Cup ever’ label collides with 61,394 km of private flights by its president in the first three weeks alone.
5 laps around Earth, according to flight-tracking data. , Canada, and Mexico—contrasts sharply with FIFA’s ‘greenest World Cup ever’ slogan. Infantino’s itinerary included multiple short-haul private flights, including a 1,080 km hop from Doha to Dubai on November 20, followed by a 13,000 km round trip to Los Angeles on November 23.
By December 11, his cumulative private jet mileage had already eclipsed the equatorial circumference of the planet. The carbon footprint of Infantino’s travel dwarfs that of commercial alternatives: a single private jet emits roughly 20 times more CO₂ per passenger than a first-class seat on a commercial flight over the same distance. Independent analysts estimate the 61,394 km haul generated at least 180 metric tons of CO₂—enough to power an average European household for 15 years.
