How Gianni Infantino’s Private-Jet World Cup Travel Spanned 70,000 Miles

Business Insider reported that FIFA President Gianni Infantino attended more than 40 World Cup games in 39 days, with Sunday’s final set to be his 44th game of the tournament. Its analysis found he traveled about 70,000 miles during the World Cup, nearly three times the Earth’s circumference. The travel was tied to a Qatar Executive Gulfstream G650ER, owned by Qatar Airways’ private-jet division.

The report said Business Insider used photographs, TV broadcasts, Instagram posts, and Flightradar24 data to map more than 50 flights from the first game through the final. FIFA and Qatar Airways did not respond to requests for comment.

The map covered Infantino’s travel across the US, Canada, and Mexico, though it did not fully show a Qatar trip between the quarterfinals and semifinals. Business Insider reported that the four-leg journey from Miami, with refueling stops in Madrid and a return to Dallas, covered about 11,500 miles after Infantino said on Instagram he went to offer condolences to the Qatari Emir.

Between World Cup games, the longest trip cited was Vancouver to Miami, a five-hour flight that happened twice. Excluding four repositioning flights, the shortest was a 27-minute Seattle-to-Vancouver hop on July 6, between stadiums that are about a three-hour drive apart.

The Gulfstream G650ER is described in the report as a premium private jet costing about $65 million new, with a top speed of 610 miles per hour at a typical cruising altitude of 43,000 feet. Online charter listings for the Qatar Executive version used by Infantino show it can carry 13 passengers and has a rear couch that can transform into a double bed.

Business Insider said Infantino appeared to spend more than 140 hours aboard the jet during the five-and-a-half-week tournament. The report also highlighted how private flying can save time by letting passengers bypass standard security lines, be driven onto the tarmac, and depart outside commercial airline schedules.

Infantino attended at least one game in all 16 host cities, though Business Insider reported he did not see Jordan or Germany play. England was the team he saw most often, with five games. He also made stops including a FIFA summit in Miami, a “Fox & Friends” appearance in New York, and a media visit to New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium.

The report framed the travel against a more expensive and commercialized 2026 World Cup. It noted that ticket prices were a major source of fan frustration, with the best-view final seats priced at $10,990 when released in the first general-admission sale in April.