Mauricio Pochettino didn’t seem interested in commenting on one of the most-talked-about issues of the upcoming World Cup — the sky-high ticket prices fans are being forced to shell out to attend matches.
The U.S. Men’s National Team head coach said during a conference call Thursday that “it is not up to us to judge” the ticket pricing situation for the World Cup and that he and his players focus on “our job.”
Pochettino was asked for his thoughts on concerns that ticket prices, which range from several hundred to several thousand dollars to attend matches, were too unaffordable and about comments from winger Tim Weah that he was “disappointed” by costs.
“First of all, I think players need to talk on the pitch, playing football, not outside of the [pitch],” the USMNT coach said. “It is not his duty to evaluate the price of the ticket. And then also my duty is to prepare the team, the U.S. Men’s National Team, in the best way to perform. We are not politicians. We are sport people that only we can talk about our job. And I think if FIFA does something or takes some decision, they know why, and it is their responsibility to explain why. But it’s not up to us to provide our opinion.
“Our responsibility is to perform, play and perform on the pitch. And then the people that [are] in charge of the federation, maybe he can give his opinion, but I am the head coach of the federation. And I think we have the organization that is over us, that is FIFA, that is doing an amazing job around the world uniting people, because I think FIFA unites people. I think for sure the media need to ask directly to FIFA, and for sure you are going to receive a very good answer. But no, it is not up to us to judge this type of thing. We need to be focused on the sports side, and trust in the organization that is in charge of soccer or football around the world, that they are going to do the right things.”
Weah told French outlet Le Dauphiné that World Cup tickets were “too expensive.”
“Football should still be enjoyed by everyone. It is the most popular sport. This World Cup will be good, but it will be more of a show,” he told the outlet.
“I am just a bit disappointed by the ticket prices. Lots of real fans will miss matches.”
The cost of tickets at the World Cup is an increasingly charged topic that has drawn condemnation from fans across the soccer world, including from New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
In an attempt to curb some of the negative comments, FIFA cut ticket prices for some of the participating nations’ most loyal fans down to $60.
The number of $60 tickets ranges from 400 to 750 per team, and it will be up to the national federations to determine how to distribute the tickets.
Even with the high prices, it appears that tickets for the upcoming tournament, being jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, are still in high demand.
FIFA World Cup 2026 Executive Director of Commercial Operations Ross McCall told The California Post this week that they’ve received more than 500 million applications for tickets to World Cup matches.
McCall told the outlet that FIFA is making “about 6.8 million” tickets available for purchase at face value, which has led to the astronomical ticket prices on the secondary market, with the Associated Press reporting last week that a ticket for the final at MetLife Stadium had been listed for more than $200,000.
