Donald Trump ticket price admission on USA World Cup opener speaks volumes

Donald Trump is surprised by the eye-watering World Cup ticket prices facing fans this summer. Many supporters are being priced out of the tournament that is taking place across Canada, Mexico and the United States. Trump could barely conceal his shock upon learning that seats for the United States' opening group fixture against Paraguay on June 12 in Los Angeles were starting at over £700. He said in a brief telephone interview with the New York Post: "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." Trump hinted that his administration could scrutinise the matter more closely. He expressed particular concern that the soaring costs were shutting out the working-class supporters he considers his core political base. "If people from Queens and Brooklyn and all of the people that love Donald Trump can't go, I would be disappointed," Trump said. "I would like to be able to have the people that voted for me to be able to go." He stopped well short of announcing any official measures to reduce prices for the fans. Trump instead acknowledged the tournament's remarkable commercial triumph in the same breath. JOIN US ON FACEBOOK! Latest news, analysis and much more on Mirror Football's Facebook page "I know that is extremely successful, setting every record in the book; they've never had anything like it," Trump said The average price of a ticket to the final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on July 19 stands at nearly £10,000, compared to roughly £1,200 for the 2022 World Cup final. One resale listing on FIFA's own secondary marketplace was priced at almost £1.7million. FIFA president Gianni Infantino, speaking at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills on Tuesday, actually joked about the latter figure. He promised to personally deliver "a hot dog and a Coke" to any fan who paid for it. He defended the broader pricing strategy by citing the scale of demand. "We are in the market in which entertainment is the most developed in the world , so we have to apply market rates," Infantino said. "In the US, it is permitted to resell tickets as well, so if you were to sell tickets at a price which is too low, these tickets will be resold at a much higher price." Independent market data challenges that argument. Gilad Zilberman, CEO of secondary market comparison site SeatPick, told Deutsche Welle that at the end of April, 72 per cent of matches where comparable data was available showed secondary market tickets proving cheaper than FIFA's own prices. "I think prices will drop. That's my gut feeling. I think FIFA is struggling," he said. He described dynamic pricing as outside FIFA's area of expertise, saying the organisation gets "stuck with a lot of tickets" as a result. The hotel industry figures back up the impression of a tournament that has shifted tickets in substantial volumes but has failed to deliver the expected influx of overseas visitors. A report from the American Hotel and Lodging Association revealed that nearly 80 per cent of hotels in the 11 US host cities were operating beneath initial World Cup forecasts. In Kansas City, between 85 and 90 per cent of operators reported demand lagging behind even a typical June or July without a major event. Visa complications, high airfares and geopolitical concerns have deterred international travellers, leaving domestic fans who can afford to hold out for price reductions as the main audience. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us - and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're cu rious, you can read our Privacy Notice .