‘I wouldn’t even pay for it’: Donald Trump criticizes World Cup ticket prices so high fans will have to pay to attend | international sports news
donald trump After learning how expensive tickets have become for supporters, he admitted that he would not personally pay $1,000 (£736) to attend a United States match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The tournament, which will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, begins on June 11, 2026 and will be the first men’s World Cup to be held in North America since 1994, as well as the first edition to feature an expanded 48-team format. The United States are scheduled to open their campaign against the Paraguay national football team on June 12 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, with kick-off scheduled for spectators in the United Kingdom on the morning of June 13. talking to New York Post, Trump was told that tickets for the match were currently being sold for about $1,000. “I didn’t know that number,” Trump said. “I would definitely love to live there, but honestly I wouldn’t even pay it.”
Trump says working-class supporters should still be able to participate
Trump later expressed concern that ordinary supporters could be barred from attending matches during the tournament. “If the people of Queens and Brooklyn and all the people who love Donald Trump can’t go, I will be disappointed,” he said. “But, you know, at the same time, it’s an amazing success. “I would like the people who voted for me to be able to go.”
FILE – President Donald Trump holds the FIFA World Cup winners’ trophy as FIFA President Gianni Infantino attends an announcement in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on August 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Martin, File)
Trump has frequently highlighted his role in helping bring the World Cup to the United States during his first presidential term. The 2026 tournament will be played in a total of 16 venues, with 11 stadiums located in the United States, three in Mexico, and two in Canada.Also read: World Cup final seat listed for $11.5 million despite being one of the worst stadiums
FIFA defends prices amid growing criticism
The price of tickets has become one of the defining issues surrounding the 2026 World Cup after FIFA released sales details for the first time earlier this year. Group-stage tickets are now priced partly based on the popularity of the teams involved, rather than the flat-rate structure used in previous tournaments. Supporter groups and fans have heavily criticized the prices, with some describing them as “extortionate”.
FILE – General view of MetLife Stadium during the Club World Cup semifinal soccer match between Fluminense and Chelsea on Tuesday, July 8, 2025 in East Rutherford, NJ. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith, File)
Donald Trump’s comments came just hours after Gianni Infantino defended the ticket prices, which have sparked huge controversy in the United States and around the world. Speaking at a conference in Beverly Hills on Tuesday, the FIFA president said the location of the 2026 FIFA World Cup justifies the higher prices. “We have to look at the market – we are in the market in which entertainment is the most developed in the world,” Infantino said. Earlier in the week, Infantino also argued that many World Cup tickets were still priced compared to major American sporting events. “We have 25 percent off tickets for the group stage that can be purchased for less than $300,” he said. “You can’t go see a college game in America for less than $300, let alone a top professional game at a certain level. And this is the World Cup.” According to Infantino, more than 500 million ticket requests were submitted during the early voting stage for matches throughout the tournament.
Final ticket resale prices reach extraordinary levels
Although some official ticket prices were later reduced following protests over affordability, attention has increasingly shifted to the resale market. The World Cup final will take place on July 19, 2026, at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. According to reports, the average price of a ticket for the final is currently around $13,000, while it is around $1,600 for the 2022 World Cup final in Qatar. Last month, four tickets for the final were listed online for a staggering $2.3 million (£1.69 million). Infantino responded to those listings with a mixture of humor and criticism. He joked that he would personally offer “a hot dog and a Coke” to anyone willing to pay that amount before addressing the broader resale situation more seriously. “If some people put some tickets for the final on the resale market for $2 million, number one, it doesn’t mean the tickets are worth $2 million, and number two, it doesn’t mean anyone will buy these tickets,” he said. “In the US, reselling of tickets is also allowed, so if you sell tickets at a very low price, these tickets will be resold at a much higher price. “And in fact, even though some people are saying that we have higher ticket prices, they still go for even higher prices on the resale market, more than double our price.”
FIFA still makes money from resale transactions
Although FIFA does not directly regulate the prices set by sellers on resale platforms, The Guardian reported that the governing body still receives a fee from each official resale transaction. According to the report, FIFA charges a 15 percent fee from the buyer and 15 percent from the seller for tickets sold through official resale channels. The 2026 FIFA World Cup is scheduled to run from June 11 through the final on July 19, with matches taking place across the United States, Canada and Mexico.