U.S. President Trump on high World Cup ticket prices: ‘I wouldn’t pay it either’

FIFA President Gianni Infantino, right, presents President Donald Trump with the new FIFA Club World Cup official ball in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, March 7, 2025. (Jim Watson/Pool Photo via AP)

U.S. President Donald Trump is the latest person to take a shot at the sky-high World Cup ticket prices, saying he wouldn’t pay US$1,000 to watch the United States play against Paraguay on June 12 in Los Angeles.

Trump said he was unaware of the prices soccer fans are being asked to pay to watch a group-play match at the World Cup.

“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.”

Earlier this week, FIFA president Gianni Infantino defended the cost of seats for the World Cup, saying they were in line with prices for major American sporting events.

“We have 25 per cent of the group stage tickets which can be bought for less than (US)$300,” Infantino said. “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.”

The average cost of a ticket for the World Cup final on July 19 in East Rutherford, N.J., is US$13,000, according to reports. It was US$1,600 for the 2022 final in Qatar.

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Trump is worried the pricing will shut out working-class Americans from being able to attend a game.

“If people from Queens and Brooklyn and all of the people that love Donald Trump can’t go, I would be disappointed, but, you know, at the same time, it’s an amazing success,” he said of the World Cup that he helped land for the U.S. during his first term as president. “I would like to be able to have the people that voted for me to be able to go.”

FIFA also released some tickets on Thursday, which gives fans a chance at first-come, first-serve tickets.

According to TicketData.com, the current average price for Group Stage games is US$567, down from US$684 14 days ago and US$720 from 30 days ago.

Field Level Media took a quick look Wednesday on the Ticketmaster website for the June 19 group-stage match between the United States and Australia in Seattle and that search certainly didn’t display any bargains.

The lowest price for two tickets early Wednesday evening was a resale pair for US$2,725.10, which broke down to US$2,290 for the tickets and US$435.10 in service fees. However, a new search 30 minutes later showed the total price climbing to US$2,770.90 for seats high in the upper deck along the sideline at Lumen Field. For fans more familiar with football than futbol, they could be considered on the 25-yard line.

On Thursday afternoon, a newly listed pair of resale tickets was the lowest offering -- two for US$2,553.10. Those tickets were in the upper deck around the soccer end line and NFL end zone.

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On its own market place, FIFA takes a 15 per cent purchase fee from the buyer of a resold ticket and a 15 per cent free from the seller.

TicketData.com said the cheapest available ticket has dropped in price for 87 of the 91 matches in U.S. and Canada over the past 14 days.

The World Cup will be played at 16 sites in the United States (11), Mexico (three) and Canada (two).

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