Key keywords: Donald Trump, 2026 FIFA World Cup, World Cup ticket prices, four-figure World Cup match tickets, former US president, FIFA ticket pricing strategy, US-Mexico-Canada World Cup, World Cup fan accessibility Former United States president Donald Trump made headlines this week after stating in a live interview with Newsmax that he “wouldn’t pay” four-figure prices for 2026 FIFA World Cup matches, a comment that quickly went viral across sports and political media platforms. The 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada, is set to be the largest edition of the tournament in history, with 48 teams competing across 16 host cities. Last month, FIFA released its official ticket pricing structure for the event, revealing that premium seats for high-demand matches including the final, semi-finals, and rivalry group stage games will range from $1,200 to $5,800 per ticket, with nearly 30% of all available tickets priced at over $1,000. Even mid-tier seats for less popular knockout round matches are listed between $1,000 and $2,200, a price point that puts the games out of reach for most working-class households across the three host countries. Trump, who was in office when the US-Mexico-Canada bid won the rights to host the 2026 tournament, noted that he had pushed for the event to come to North America in part to make elite soccer accessible to working-class families. “I fought hard to bring the World Cup back to the US, because I wanted every kid who loves soccer to be able to go to a game with their mom or dad, not just billionaires and corporate bigwigs,” Trump said during the interview. “I could write a check for 10 of those four-figure tickets without blinking, but it’s the principle of the thing. FIFA is ripping off ordinary fans, and I’m not going to support that ridiculous pricing by paying that much for a single 90-minute game.” His remarks have resonated with thousands of soccer fans across North America, who have been venting about the steep ticket prices on social media for weeks. Multiple fan advocacy groups have launched petitions calling on FIFA to release more low-cost ticket options, noting that the cheapest available group stage tickets for non-local fans start at $90, with additional processing and venue fees that can push the total cost to over $150 even for the lowest-tier seats. Sports industry analysts have noted that Trump’s high-profile criticism of the pricing is likely to put additional pressure on FIFA to adjust its ticket model before general sales open later this year, as the organization has repeatedly stated that it wants to hit record attendance numbers for the expanded 2026 tournament.