World football’s biggest and most prestigious tournament, the FIFA World Cup, is now in full swing.
While fans enjoy the high-octane action on display on the field, FIFA president Gianni Infantino is hard at work, making sure everything behind the scenes is running as intended.
In addition to looking after all the logistical goings-on, Infantino has also been spotted watching a number of games in the VIP section, usually surrounded by legendary players or leaders of the countries in action.
Of course, being in attendance for a few big games is nothing out of the ordinary for someone in Infantino’s position.
However, many fans have been left shocked by the sheer volume of games the FIFA President has managing to attend over the course of the competition so far.
In the group stages, games have usually been organised with only an hour’s gap between them, and with the tournament being co-hosted by USA, Mexico and Canada, there is plenty of area to cover to get from one stadium to another.
Infantino has somehow still managed to keep himself on schedule.
On Sunday, he was at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta to watch Spain’s dominant win against Saudi Arabia, which kicked off at 12 PM local time (EDT), before being spotted watching Uruguay draw 2-2 to Cape Verde at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, which kicked off at 6 PM local time (EDT).
The estimated flight time between both venues is about 2 hours and 10 minutes.
Naturally, this has become a hot topic on social media.
Many fans have speculated how Infantino manages to keep attending all the games with such consistency.
One alleged he has a “private jet from Qatar Airways on standby” to rush from one venue to the other right after the final whistle is blown.
Others, meanwhile, have voiced more far-fetched theories, claiming “he either has body doubles or only watches games only for a few minutes before leaving”.
Some have commended Infantino’s approach, some believe his “hands-on management style” is what makes the tournament a massive success.
Others, meanwhile, have criticised him, citing the “environmental destruction” that comes with such frequent use of a private jet.
Another joked that he probably didn’t even have time to sleep due to such a hectic schedule every day.
While it does look like Gianni Infantino has literally attended every single game at the tournament so far, so many matches being spread over multiple countries and time zones makes that physically impossible.
Instead, he typically attends selected high-profile matches, opening games, or events involving FIFA officials and sponsors.
For instance, he did not attend a single game on Sunday, June 14, as he was in Miami to host a FIFA summit attended by representatives of their 211 member associations.
The next game he was spotted at was Iran’s tournament opener against New Zealand on Monday.
All the political noise surrounding Iran’s arrival into this World Cup definitely made that game fit the “high-profile” tag.
While Infantino’s ability to attend so many games has come under the spotlight at this year’s World Cup, it is not the first time we have seen him pull something like this off.
He was also highly visible during the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, despite the new expanded format of the competition containing 63 matches.
