Former US President Donald Trump has criticized the sky-high ticket prices for the 2026 World Cup, saying he would not pay $1,000 to watch the United States play Paraguay on June 12 in Los Angeles.

In an interview with the New York Post, Trump claimed he was unaware of the prices: “I did not know that number. I would certainly like to be there, but I wouldn’t pay it either, to be honest with you.”

FIFA President Gianni Infantino defended the costs earlier this week, arguing they are in line with major US sporting events. “We have 25% of the group stage tickets which can be bought for less than $300. You cannot go to watch in the US a college game for less than $300,” he said.

The average ticket price for the final on July 19 in East Rutherford, New Jersey, is reportedly $13,000, compared to $1,600 for the 2022 final in Qatar.

Trump expressed concern that working-class Americans would be priced out: “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.”

FIFA released additional tickets on Thursday on a first-come, first-served basis. According to TicketData.com, the average price for group stage games is now $567, down from $684 two weeks ago.

A quick search for the US-Australia match in Seattle found the cheapest resale pair at $2,553.10, including fees. FIFA charges a 15% purchase fee from buyers and a 15% fee from sellers on resold tickets.

The World Cup will be held at 16 venues across the United States (11), Mexico (3), and Canada (2).

Source: www.aljazeera.com