President Donald Trump acknowledged this week that tickets for the 2026 FIFA World Cup are too expensive for ordinary fans—a striking admission that puts him at odds with FIFA President Gianni Infantino, his close ally, who just days earlier defended the steep prices as a natural consequence of hosting the world’s biggest sporting event in America’s premium sports economy.
“I wouldn’t pay it either, to be honest,” Trump told the New York Post, referring to the $1,000-plus prices for World Cup matches. The comment came just days after Infantino doubled down on the pricing at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, making it one of the sharpest public breaks yet between the two men over the management of the tournament set to kick off across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico in June.
