President Trump Says 2026 World Cup Tickets Are Too Expensive

President Donald Trump acknowledged this week that tickets for the 2026 FIFA World Cup are too expensive for ordinary fans. “I wouldn’t pay it either, to be honest,” Trump told the New York Post, referring to prices exceeding $1,000 for some matches.

The statement came days after FIFA President Gianni Infantino defended the pricing during an appearance at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills. Infantino said organizers must apply market rates because the event is hosted in a country with highly developed entertainment pricing.

Infantino had visited the Oval Office in November to unveil the FIFA Pass visa program with Trump. He has described himself as a friend of the president and appeared alongside him on multiple occasions in preparation for the tournament. “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 said at the conference.

He compared ticket costs to attending a U.S. college football game, which he said could not be done for under $300. Ticket prices have increased since initial sales opened in late 2025. The cheapest category started at $120 while the highest category for the final reached $7,875.

By April 2026 the maximum price for a final ticket had risen to $10,990. That figure is nearly seven times higher than the $1,550 maximum promised during the North American bid process. Four seats to the final were listed on FIFA’s official resale marketplace at just under $2.3 million each.

The most expensive ticket to the 2022 World Cup final in Qatar cost approximately $1,600.

FIFA has received more than 500 million ticket requests for the 2026 tournament. Demand has not been an issue despite the price increases. Fans also face $80 to $100 in transit surcharges per match and higher fuel costs linked to tariff-related inflation.

Football Supporters Europe calculated that attending every match from the group stage through the final would cost a minimum of $6,900. That amount is nearly five times the equivalent cost for the 2022 tournament in Qatar. In January, the administration’s point person on the World Cup said fan concerns should be understood in that context.

Infantino noted that tickets are likely to appear on the resale market at more than double the original price. He made a joke about personally bringing a hot dog and a Coke to anyone who paid such resale prices. The comments from Trump and Infantino represent one of the more public differences between the two on tournament management.

The event is set to begin in June across venues in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. " — President Donald Trump (New York Post) The tournament is scheduled to kick off in June 2026.