US President Donald Trump has criticized the steep ticket prices for the 2026 World Cup, stating that he personally would not pay a four-figure sum to watch a United States match. In an interview with the New York Post, Trump referred to tickets costing over $1,000 for the U.S. team’s opening game against Paraguay in Los Angeles, saying, “I wouldn’t pay it either, to be honest.”
As of Friday, the cheapest available ticket on FIFA’s official ticketing site for the USA vs. Paraguay match at SoFi Stadium was $1,220, classified as a Category 3 ticket for disabled fans. The most expensive option, a front-row Category 1 ticket, cost $4,105 — a new ticket tier introduced by FIFA for this tournament.
Trump’s remarks add further embarrassment for FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who earlier in the week had again gone to great lengths to defend the widely criticized high ticket prices. “We have to look at the market — we are in a market where entertainment is the most developed in the world. So we have to apply market rates,” Infantino said. He added, “In the US it is permitted to resell tickets as well. So if you were to sell tickets at a price which is too low, these tickets will be resold at a much higher price.”
This marks the second instance in a week where Infantino appears disconnected from football fans and the World Cup’s mission, following his awkward performance at the FIFA Congress and his failed attempt to get Palestinian FA President Jibril Rajoub to shake hands with the Israeli FA representative on stage.
FIFA has faced major backlash for implementing dynamic pricing and setting astronomical ticket costs. A Category 1 ticket for the World Cup final is priced up to $11,000, far exceeding prices for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. At the recent FIFA Congress in Vancouver, officials declined to disclose how many tickets remain unsold. Previously, FIFA reported selling over 5 million tickets. The total inventory for the expanded 48-team tournament is 6.5 million tickets, with FIFA projecting $3 billion in revenue from ticketing and hospitality alone.
Trump also expressed a desire for his supporters to attend: “If people from Queens and Brooklyn and all of the people that love Donald Trump can’t go, I would be disappointed, but, you know, at the same time, it’s an amazing success. I would like to be able to have the people that voted for me to be able to go.”
