President Donald Trump answers reporters’ questions during a meeting with the White House Task Force on the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, November 17, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Donald Trump has admitted he would not personally pay $1,000 (£736) to attend a US match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after learning how expensive tickets would be for fans. The tournament, which will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, begins on June 11, 2026, and marks 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 teams. The United States is scheduled to open its campaign against the Paraguayan national soccer team at Sophie’s Stadium in Los Angeles on June 12, with the match kicking off in the early hours of June 13 for viewers in the United Kingdom. Speaking to the New York Post, Trump was told that tickets for the game are currently selling for around $1,000. “I didn’t know that number,” Trump said. “Sure I would love to be there, but I wouldn’t pay for it either, to be honest with you.”
Trump says working-class supporters should still be able to attend
Trump later expressed concern that regular fans could be excluded from attending matches during the tournament. “If people from Queens and Brooklyn and all the people who love Donald Trump can’t go, I’ll be disappointed,” he said. “But, you know, at the same time, it’s an amazing success. “I would like to be able to convince the people who voted for me that I can leave.”
FILE – President Donald Trump holds the FIFA World Cup Winners’ Trophy as FIFA President Gianni Infantino looks on during an announcement in the Oval Office of the White House, Aug. 22, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Martin, File)
Trump has repeatedly highlighted his role in helping bring the World Cup to the United States during his first presidential term.
The 2026 tournament will be held in 16 venues, including 11 in the United States, three in Mexico, and two in Canada.Read also: The World Cup final seat was listed at $11.5 million despite being one of the worst seats in the stadium
FIFA defends prices amid mounting criticism
Ticket pricing has become one of the defining issues surrounding the 2026 World Cup since FIFA first released sales details earlier this year. Pricing for group stage tickets is now partly based on the popularity of the participating teams rather than the fixed price structure used in previous tournaments. Supporter and fan groups have strongly criticized the prices, with some describing them as “extortionate”.
FILE – A general view of MetLife Stadium during the FIFA Club World Cup semifinal match between Fluminense and Chelsea in East Rutherford, New Jersey, Tuesday, July 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith, File)
Donald Trump’s comments came just hours after Gianni Infantino defended ticket prices, which sparked massive 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 justified the higher prices. “We have to look at the market,” Infantino said. “We are in a market where entertainment is the most advanced in the world.” Earlier in the week, Infantino also said that many World Cup tickets still compare favorably to major American sporting events. He added: “We have 25% of group stage tickets that can be purchased for less than $300.” “You can’t go watch a college game in the United States, not even a high-profile professional game at a certain level, for less than $300.
This is the World Cup.” According to Infantino, more than 500 million requests for tickets were submitted during the preliminary balloting phase for matches across the tournament.
Final ticket resale prices are reaching extraordinary levels
While some official ticket prices were later reduced following backlash over affordability, attention has increasingly turned towards the resale market. The World Cup final is scheduled to be held at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on July 19, 2026.
According to reports, the average cost of a ticket for the final is currently about $13,000, compared to about $1,600 for the 2022 World Cup final in Qatar. Last month, four tickets to the final were offered online for a staggering $2.3m (£1.69m). Infantino responded to these lists 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 tackling the broader resale situation more seriously. “If some people put on the resale market some tickets for the final for $2 million, firstly, that doesn’t mean the tickets cost $2 million, and secondly, it doesn’t mean someone will buy those tickets,” he said. “In the US, resale of tickets is also allowed, so if you are going to sell tickets at a very low price, those tickets will be resold at a much higher price. “In fact, even though some people say our ticket prices are high, they end up on the resale market at a higher price, more than double our price.”
FIFA still makes money from resale transactions
Although FIFA does not directly control 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 takes a 15% fee from the buyer and another 15% fee from the seller for tickets sold through official resale channels. The 2026 World Cup is scheduled to take place from June 11 until the final on July 19, with matches taking place across the United States, Canada and Mexico.