Players ran. Supporters travelled. Gianni Infantino apparently attempted to complete the entire World Cup by private jet.

The 2026 World Cup was spread across three countries, 16 host cities and four time zones.

Gianni Infantino appears to have treated that as a personal itinerary.

During the 39-day tournament, the FIFA president travelled approximately 59,281 miles, spending around 115 hours in the air as he moved between matches across the United States, Canada and Mexico.

That is enough distance to circle the Earth more than twice.

Forty-four matches in 39 days

Infantino attended 44 of the tournament’s 104 matches, visiting all 16 stadiums along the way.

Some supporters began wondering how he kept appearing on television at matches taking place thousands of miles apart.

The answer was less mysterious than teleportation.

Infantino travelled aboard a Gulfstream G650 jet provided by the Qatari government and operated by Qatar Airways, one of FIFA’s tournament sponsors.

On several occasions, he attended more than one match in a single day.

One particularly busy day reportedly involved 5,772 miles of travel, while his shortest recorded flight lasted only 28 minutes between Seattle and Vancouver.

The tournament’s most committed spectator

Infantino was photographed alongside presidents, celebrities and football officials throughout the competition.

He appeared five times at Miami’s stadium alone and crossed international borders 23 times during the tournament.

Most supporters were happy if they managed to reach one match without missing a connection.

Infantino was apparently trying to complete the stadium collection.

The numbers also attracted criticism because FIFA has pledged to halve its emissions by 2030 and reach net zero by 2040. Environmental groups questioned how that promise fitted with more than 100 hours of private air travel during a single tournament.

Infantino did not score.

He did not provide an assist.

He did not play a single minute.

Yet by the end of the World Cup, nobody involved in the tournament had covered more ground.

Literally.