Ticket prices for this summer’s World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada have been widely criticized, prompting President Donald Trump to issue a statement.
Donald Trump says he won’t pay for World Cup tickets at current rates (Image: Getty Images)
Donald Trump has made his biggest rebuke to date, claiming he won’t even pay for his World Cup tickets. At this summer’s tournaments in the United States, Canada and Mexico, many supporters paid for tickets to games.
Some tickets appeared on FIFA’s official resale market for $2 million (£1.47 million). Tournament organizers do not set these prices, but if the sale goes through, you will receive a significant deduction from the commission earned.
FIFA was forced to scale back its pricing strategy as supporters chose not to part with their funds. US President Trump has now had his say and even admitted he won’t pay exorbitant prices.
“I didn’t know that number (the U.S. opening game price),” the president said in an interview with the New York Post. “Of course I would like to participate, but to be honest, I won’t even pay.”
read more: FIFA president approves new deal, ending beloved World Cup traditionread more: England face problems with Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka after Arsenal reach Champions League final
Join us on Facebook! For the latest news, analysis and more on our Mirror Football Facebook page
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has spoken out about this year’s pricing strategy and appears to be sticking to it, even suggesting he will treat those who pay exorbitant prices to meals.
“If someone resells a ticket to the finals for $2 million, that doesn’t mean the ticket price is $2 million,” Infantino said earlier this week. “And secondly, it doesn’t mean anyone is going to buy these tickets.
“If someone buys a ticket to the finals for $2 million, I’ll personally bring him a hot dog and a Coke to make sure he has a great experience.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has already defended World Cup ticket prices (Image: Getty Images)
“We have to look at the market. We are in the most developed entertainment market in the world, so we have to apply market rates. The United States also allows ticket resale. So if you sell tickets at too low a price, those tickets will be resold at a much higher price.”
“And the truth is, while some people say the ticket prices we have are high, they end up on the resale market at even higher prices, more than double our price.”
The World Cup begins on June 11th, with Mexico scheduled to play South Africa in the tournament’s opening match.
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive Mirror Football content every day. Community members also receive special offers, promotions, and advertisements from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check it out whenever you like. If you are interested, please read our privacy notice.
Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+ and Ultimate TV packages
Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundles to include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, plus 135 channels and complete coverage of the Premier League and EFL from Sky.
Sky has over 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more, with at least 215 of them live from the top flight, along with F1, darts and golf.
