FIFA/2026 World Cup: "Bringing joy to our 211 member countries in these particular times" (G. Infantino)

"In these particular times, we forget to be happy, to be joyful. Everyone has their own problems, issues in life, and with football, we want to give to communities all over the world. There are 211 countries which are members of FIFA; we want to give them a moment of joy and happiness. When a child kicks a ball, when an adult kicks a ball, they don’t think about their issues and their problems in life, and we have to always remember that," declared Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA, at the World Economic Forum in Davos (Switzerland) on 22/01/2026.

FIFA has recorded "over 500 million ticket requests" from 211 territories for the 2026 World Cup during 33-day third phase of ticket sales, "a new benchmark in the history of world sport," said FIFA on 14/01/2026.

"The world stands still because the FIFA World Cup and football has really an impact on the lives, on the moods of people like nothing else. There is nothing anywhere close to what football does. It changes the mood not just of people, but of countries," added Gianni Infantino, amid calls from several European politicians and…