Trump lashes out at 'exorbitant' World Cup prices: 'I wouldn't pay them either'

The president questioned the cost of tickets for the 2026 World Cup, expressing concern about working-class access to the event while FIFA defends market rates.

The 2026 World Cup, an event that Donald Trump helped secure for the United States during his first term, is now facing criticism from the president due to high ticket prices.

In an exclusive interview with the New York Post, Trump expressed surprise and displeasure that a fan must shell out at least $1,000 to watch the U.S. national team's debut against Paraguay next June in Los Angeles. 

"I didn't know that figure," the president admitted to the New York media, reacting with disbelief at the costs being borne by soccer fans in the country. In his characteristically blunt style, Trump was blunt about his own willingness to pay such sums: "I certainly would like to be there, but I wouldn't pay it either, to be honest with you."

The gap between FIFA's elite and the ordinary citizen

The president's stance emerges amid tension between the expectations of the American public and FIFA's management, led by Gianni Infantino. While the president focuses on the impact on ordinary citizens, the soccer body's president has defended pricing based solely on market logic.

During a recent conference for the financial elite in Beverly Hills, Infantino justified the use of dynamic pricing and high fees based on the U.S. entertainment ecosystem. "We have to apply market rates," Infantino said, comparing costs to those of a high-level college or professional soccer game, which he said do not go below $300.

However, the current World Cup figures far exceed any previous benchmark. The cheapest ticket for a match at SoFi Stadium in California is around $1,079 on official platforms.

The contrast is even more drastic for the final, which will be played at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. The average price amounts to nearly $13,000, an abysmal figure compared to the average $1,600 for the Qatar 2022 final.

Trump suggested his administration might closely examine these prices to prevent his supporters, whom he described as the working base hailing from places like Queens and Brooklyn, from being shut out of the event. "If people who love Donald Trump can't go, I would be disappointed," the president said, underscoring the conflict between the tournament's commercial success and accessibility for the average voter.

Commercial success vs. a hotel industry that is not taking off

Despite criticism over costs, the president acknowledged that the tournament is a triumph in terms of volume. With 5 million tickets sold, FIFA projects to break all historical attendance and revenue records. "I know it is being extremely successful. They're breaking every record in the book," the real estate mogul praised. 

However, this box-office success does not appear to be translating evenly into other sectors of the national economy. A survey by the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) revealed that nearly 80% of hoteliers in 11 host cities report bookings below original forecasts. The disappointment is such that some industry members are already describing the tournament outright as a "non-event."

According to the AHLA, seven out of ten hoteliers blame visa barriers and geopolitical concerns for suppressing foreign demand. Adding to this is the logistical complexity of a tournament spread across three countries and 16 cities, which makes travel expensive and difficult.

In Kansas City, 85% to 90% of hotels report lower bookings than a typical non-event summer. Cities such as Boston, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Seattle also report similar figures, with 80% of hotels falling short of expectations. In New York and Los Angeles, demand remains "soft" and in line with a normal summer, without the expected World Cup spike.