Trump Hits FIFA Over Sky-High World Cup Ticket Prices: ‘I Wouldn’t Pay It’

(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

President Donald Trump admitted that he would not personally pay the roughly $1,000 ticket price being charged for the United States’ opening soccer match against Paraguay next month at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Speaking to The New York Post on Wednesday in a phone interview, the president reacted in shock when reporters shared the price for the tournament’s first game, set to be played in Los Angeles on June 12.

“I did not know that number,” Trump said. “I would certainly like to be there, but I wouldn’t pay it either, to be honest with you.”

FIFA president Gianni Infantino defended the tournament’s pricing model earlier this week against the backdrop of mounting anger from fans over resale prices and dynamic pricing.

Trump, who helped secure the tournament for the U.S. during his first term, suggested the prices risk excluding ordinary supporters.

“If people from Queens and Brooklyn and all of the people that love Donald Trump can’t go, I would be disappointed,” he said. “I would like to be able to have the people that voted for me to be able to go.”

The tournament, which begins on June 11, has already sold more than five million tickets, according to FIFA. But the high cost of seats has triggered backlash among fans, with one European supporters’ group even filing an antitrust complaint accusing FIFA of “excessive” pricing, according to The Post.

The 2026 tournament will see 48 national teams play across the U.S., Canada and Mexico, with the final scheduled for July 19 at MetLife Stadium.

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