President Donald Trump has weighed in the high-price for tickets to attend next month’s World Cup opener for the United States against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium, and he is not a fan.
“I did not know that number,” Trump told the New York Post when informed of the ticket prices for the June 12 match in Los Angeles. “I would certainly like to be there, but I wouldn’t pay it either, to be honest with you.”
According to Ticket Data, the lowest-priced ticket to get into see U.S.-Paraguay is $980 as of Thursday afternoon. For the USMNT’s second match against Australia at Lumen Field in Seattle, it’s $1,017. The group stage finale back at SoFi Stadium against Turkey is currently $709.
If you want to attend the July 19 final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, that will run you at least $8,416.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino defended ticket prices during an appearance at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills this week.
Some tickets for the final have been placed on the resale market with prices north of $2 million. Infantino said market rates have to be applied and joked he would meet the person who paid that much for a seat.
“If some people put on the resale market, some tickets for the final at $2 million, number one, it doesn’t mean that the tickets cost $2 million,” Infantino said. “And number two, it doesn’t mean that somebody will buy these tickets. And if somebody buys a ticket for the final for $2 million, I will personally bring him a hot dog and a Coke to make sure that he has a great experience.
“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. In the U.S., it is permitted to resell tickets as well. So if you were to sell tickets at a price which is too low, these tickets will be resold at a much higher price.
“And as a matter of fact, even though some people are saying that the ticket prices we have are high, they still end up on the resale market at an even higher price, more than double our price.”
As World Cup ticket sales drag, hotels are also feeling the effects. On Monday, the American Hotel & Lodging Association released a survey showing that 80% of hoteliers in the 11 U.S. host cities have dubbed the tournament a “non-event” due to low booking numbers.
The 2026 World Cup begins on June 11 in Mexico with Mexico taking on South Africa and and South Korea facing Czechia. Matches in the U.S. begin on Friday, June 12 when the USMNT plays Paraguay in Los Angeles.
