President Trump slams World Cup ticket prices saying he 'wouldn't pay'
Topics: Sport, Donald Trump, World News, Money
Mia Williams
Featured Image Credit: Mandel NGAN - Pool/Getty Images
Topics: Sport, Donald Trump, World News, Money
President Trump has slammed World Cup ticket prices admitting he 'wouldn't pay', after praising the 'record-setting' number of seats already sold.
The president helped secure the tournament for the US during his first term in the White House, after being re-elected in 2024.
But despite a record-breaking five million tickets having been sold, Trump has called out the astonishing prices soccer fans will be expected to pay ahead of the matches.
Speaking to the New York Post, he said: "I did not know that number.
Advert
"I would certainly like to be there, but I wouldn’t pay it either, to be honest with you."
The average cost of a ticket to the World Cup final is nearly $13,000, compared to around $1,600 for the 2022 equivalent.
The republican leader claimed that he would be 'disappointed' if working class people who voted for him could not attend the tournament.
"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.
"I would like to be able to have the people that voted for me to be able to go."
But soccer across the world fans have complained that many of the tickets have been purchased by professional re-sellers, who are seeking to make eye-watering profit on the seats.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino defended the costs during an appearance at a conference in Beverly Hills on Tuesday (May 5).
He said: "In the US, it is permitted to resell tickets as well, so if you were to sell tickets at the price which is too low, these tickets will be resold at a much higher price.
"You cannot go to watch in the US 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."
FIFA estimated that the World Cup would boost the economy by $30 billion, but this figure is currently falling short of forecasts.
Hotel bookings currently lag far behind ticket sales, as fans complain they cannot afford to attend the games, nor pay for accommodation to stay in the vicinity.
However, according to the Post, the president hinted that his administration could put inflated prices under the microscope.