As he continues inspecting venues for the 2026 World Cup, FIFA president Gianni Infantino found himself in a familiar position on Sunday: getting booed.
Infantino was in attendance at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, as the Dallas Cowboys easily defeated the Aaron Rodgers-less New York Jets 30-10.
In addition to two Dak Prescott touchdown passes, the FIFA head witnessed former MLS first-round draft pick Brandon Aubrey go five-for-five on his field goal attempts, including a 55-yarder.
The FIFA president is touring several venues in North America as his organization ramps up preparations for the first 48-team World Cup.
The tournament will be hosted by 11 American cities, along with three from Mexico and two from Canada.
AT&T Stadium is considered one of the favorites to host the final, along with MetLife Stadium outside of New York, Los Angeles’s SoFi Stadium and Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
When shown on the big screen, Infantino was given a similar reception to the one he’s used to getting at various soccer games.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino is visiting AT&T Stadium today, taking in Cowboys-Jets at the venue that will host matches in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Reporters there say there were some boos when he popped up on the massive videoboard. pic.twitter.com/tNIIwvt4bx
— Jon Arnold (@ArnoldcommaJon) September 17, 2023
Seated to Infantino’s left was Eric Shanks, the CEO of Fox Sports, which holds the broadcast rights for the 2026 World Cup.
Speaking to NBC DFW, Infantino praised the Cowboys stadium, saying that venues in America are “light years ahead” of the rest of the world.
“This stadium is absolutely fantastic, the AT&T Dallas Stadium, it’s incredible,” Infantino said.
“It is incredible we are here of course because we organize a World Cup in a couple of years time and it’s important to see all the stadiums and all the venues.
“It’s important to see what is done for the fans and I have to say in America, you are light years ahead compared to the rest of the world.
“We are here to learn, we are here to check and we are here to organize the biggest FIFA World Cup ever, with six million people coming to the U.S. and six billion watching it from TV.”
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