Reporter: Gianni Infantino flew nearly 60,000 miles during the World Cup, equivalent to circling the Earth twice.

According to British media statistics, FIFA President Gianni Infantino will have flown nearly 60,000 miles and spent more than 100 hours in the air during the 2026 World Cup.

This World Cup was the most widely distributed in history, held in 16 cities across three countries—the United States, Canada, and Mexico—and spanning four time zones. Gianni Infantino traveled extensively throughout North America to attend matches, conferences, and other events.

To track his travels, the Associated Press analyzed the flight logs of a private jet used by Gianni Infantino in recent years, combining this data with photographs taken by AP photographers and images posted on social media by FIFA and Infantino himself. The analysis showed that by the time Argentina or Spain ultimately wins the title, his total flight distance would be enough to circle the Earth nearly 2.5 times.

Gianni Infantino's ability to frequently travel by private jet is thanks to a Gulfstream G650 aircraft provided by the Qatari government. This aircraft is operated by the private charter division of Qatar Airways, a World Cup sponsor.

According to data from flight tracking website FlightAware, since flying from Los Angeles to Mexico City on June 9 (before the World Cup opening match), the plane has averaged more than one flight per day, and more than three flights on several days.

Besides watching the matches, Infantino's schedule also included an interview on "Fox & Friends" in New York and attending the FIFA summit in Miami, attended by representatives from FIFA's 211 member associations. He also flew to Doha for the funeral of the former Emir of Qatar before returning to the United States to watch the World Cup semi-final.

FIFA did not respond to an email request for comment from the Associated Press regarding Infantino's travel arrangements.

Here are some statistics accumulated by this tournament director during the World Cup: This World Cup set a record with 104 matches played across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, making it the most geographically widespread World Cup in history.

49 matches: The number of World Cup matches Gianni Infantino had watched as of Sunday. FlightAware shows the Gulfstream plane was originally scheduled to fly from New Jersey to Miami to catch England's third-place match against France, but ultimately failed to take off. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, flights were delayed at New York-area airports on Saturday due to thunderstorms.

Gianni Infantino attended at least one match at all 16 World Cup venues. Hard Rock Stadium in Miami was his most visited venue, where he watched five matches.

2 matches: The number of days that Infantino watches two matches in a single day, often at stadiums hundreds of miles apart.

The Gulfstream aircraft primarily used the host city's main international airport during the event, but also occasionally took off and landed at smaller general aviation and business aviation airports, including Fulton County Executive Airport in Atlanta and Opalok Executive Airport in Miami.

22 times: The number of times this aircraft crossed international borders in North America up to the semi-finals.

115 hours: This is the total flight time this Gulfstream aircraft accumulated during the event, excluding ferry flights and the 29 hours spent traveling to Doha for the funeral. This equates to nearly five days in the air, enough for a commercial aircraft to fly from New York to Los Angeles 20 times at typical cruising speed.

344 minutes: Aside from the trip to Doha, this was the longest flight from Miami to Seattle, where Infantino watched Belgium play Egypt on June 15. This flight time is equivalent to the time it takes for three full World Cup matches from kickoff to final whistle.

28 minutes: The shortest flight time (excluding ferry flights) is from Seattle to Vancouver, taking only 28 minutes—roughly the length of a commercial break episode of the American web sitcom *Friends*. Infantino watched the USA vs. Belgium game in Seattle that day and the Switzerland vs. Colombia game in Vancouver the following day.

59,640 miles: According to an Associated Press analysis, this is the total distance the plane flew during the event, excluding the round trip to Doha for the funeral. This is longer than the combined distances of New York to Singapore, Los Angeles to Doha, Qatar, and London to Perth, Australia.

The longest flight distance in a single day was on June 26th. That morning, he flew from Miami to Dallas, then from Dallas to Seattle, where he watched the Egypt vs. Iran match. The final leg of his journey took off late at night from Seattle, arriving in Miami the following morning. Infantino then watched the Colombia vs. Portugal match in Miami.

FIFA has pledged to halve carbon emissions from the World Cup and related events by 2030 and to achieve net-zero emissions by 2040. FIFA's 2026 World Cup Sustainable Development and Human Rights Strategy states its commitment to addressing climate change.

Climate researchers and environmental organizations believe that this World Cup, expanded to be held in three countries, will require a large amount of air travel for teams, fans, and officials, potentially resulting in the highest greenhouse gas emissions in history and making it the World Cup with the most concentrated carbon footprint.