In a surprising twist that even caught FIFA's attention, President Donald Trump has publicly slammed the eye-watering ticket prices for the 2026 World Cup, admitting he "wouldn't pay it either." This comes despite his well-known friendship with FIFA President Gianni Infantino, adding an unexpected layer of drama to the tournament buildup.
The sticker shock hit hard when Trump learned that seats for the U.S. men's national team opener against Paraguay on June 12 are going for more than $1,000. "I did not know that number," Trump told the New York Post. "I would certainly like to be there, but I wouldn't pay it either, to be honest with you."
These comments landed just hours after Infantino defended the pricing strategy at a Beverly Hills conference. The FIFA boss argued that the U.S. market simply demands premium pricing. "We have to look at the market — we are in the market in which entertainment is the most developed in the world. So we have to apply market rates," Infantino explained. He also pointed out that U.S. ticket resale laws would drive prices up anyway if they were set too low.
Infantino's defense took an eyebrow-raising turn when he claimed that "you cannot go to watch in the U.S., a college game, not even speaking about a top professional game of a certain level, for less than $300. And this is the World Cup." For context, many fans know that affordable game-day experiences still exist across American sports, from minor league baseball to college athletics, making this claim a tough sell for budget-conscious supporters.
Trump's concern went beyond personal preference, touching on a core issue for many sports fans: accessibility. He worried that working-class supporters—the very backbone of his voting base—might be priced out of the tournament. "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."
As the 2026 World Cup approaches, kicking off June 11 with the final scheduled for July, this ticket pricing debate is far from settled. For fans dreaming of catching the action live, the message is clear: start saving now, or hope that the powers-that-be find a way to bring these prices back down to earth. Whether you're a casual observer or a die-hard supporter, one thing is certain—the cost of admission is already making headlines long before the first whistle blows.