FIFA has come under fire for gouging ticket prices for the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Published May 8, 2026
President Donald Trump is the latest to challenge soaring World Cup ticket prices, saying he won’t pay $1,000 to watch the U.S. vs. Paraguay match in Los Angeles on June 12.
President Trump said he was not aware of the amount soccer fans would have to pay to attend World Cup group play matches.
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“I didn’t know that number,” Trump told the New York Post. “Of course I’d like to participate, but to be honest, I won’t even pay.”
Earlier this week, FIFA President Gianni Infantino defended World Cup seat prices, saying they were in line with prices for major sporting events in the United States.
“Twenty-five percent of group stage tickets can be purchased for less than $300,” Infantino said. “In the United States, you can’t go see a top professional game at any level, let alone a college game, for less than $300. And this is the World Cup.”
The average ticket price for the World Cup finals, to be held in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on July 19 is reportedly $13,000. It was $1,600 for the 2022 final in Qatar.
President Trump is concerned that the pricing will keep working-class Americans from attending the games.
“I would be disappointed if the people of Queens and Brooklyn and all the people who love Donald Trump couldn’t go, but at the same time, you know, this is an amazing success,” he said of the World Cup, which he helped bring to the United States during his first term as president. “I want the people who voted for me to go.”
FIFA also released some tickets on Thursday, giving fans a chance to get tickets on a first-come, first-served basis.
According to TicketData.com, the average price for a group stage game is currently $567, down from $684 14 days ago and $720 30 days ago.
Field Level Media skimmed the Ticketmaster website Wednesday for the June 19 group stage game between the United States and Australia in Seattle, but its search did not show any deals.
As of Wednesday evening, the lowest price for two tickets was $2,725.10 for a resale pair, including $2,290 for the ticket and $435.10 for the service fee. But a new search 30 minutes later revealed that the total price for high-rise seats in the upper deck along the sideline at Lumen Field had risen to $2,770.90. For fans who know more about soccer than soccer, you’d think it would be on the 25-yard line.
As of Thursday afternoon, a newly listed pair of resale tickets had the lowest price, at $2,553.10 for two tickets. Those tickets were on the upper deck around football end lines and NFL end zones.
In its own marketplace, FIFA collects a 15% purchase fee from buyers of resold tickets and 15% from sellers for free.
According to TicketData.com, the lowest available ticket price has decreased for 87 of 91 games in the U.S. and Canada over the past 14 days.
The World Cup will be held at 16 venues in the United States (11 venues), Mexico (3 venues), and Canada (2 venues).
