Former U.S. President Donald Trump has said the 2026 FIFA World Cup ticket prices are too high and could prevent ordinary Americans from attending.
In an interview with The New York Post on Wednesday, Trump said he was surprised to learn that tickets for the U.S. team’s opening match against Paraguay in Los Angeles on June 12 cost $1,000. He said he would not pay that amount himself.
“I did not know that number,” Trump told The Post. “I would certainly like to be there, but I wouldn’t pay it either.”
Trump said the prices could lock out working-class fans, including many of his 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.”
He pointed to the high cost of final tickets as another concern. Tickets for the July 19 final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey average nearly $13,000, compared to about $1,600 for the 2022 final. Some resale listings have gone above $2 million. The cheapest ticket for a game at SoFi Stadium in California is $1,079.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino defended the pricing, saying it reflects market demand in the U.S. He argued that setting prices too low would only lead to resellers buying tickets and selling them at higher rates. “You cannot go to watch in the US a college game, not even speaking about a top professional game of a certain level, for less than $300,” Infantino said. “And this is the World Cup.”
Trump said he would look into the issue to ensure regular fans are not priced out. He noted that FIFA reports 5 million tickets have already been sold and called the tournament a commercial success, but stressed that accessibility matters.
The 2026 World Cup runs from June 11 to July 19 across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, with 48 teams playing 104 matches.