Uli Hoeneß calls 2026 World Cup a “fiasko” over ticket prices, rejects Trump‑adjacent offer

Uli Hoeneß, 74‑year‑old Ehrenpräsident of FC Bayern München, said the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico will be “a fiasko for football”. He criticized the steep ticket prices, noting that a mid‑tier final ticket costs about $2,000 and that secondary‑market tickets have been listed for up to $143,750. Hoeneß argued that such pricing turns the tournament into an event for the wealthy and threatens the sport’s accessibility.

He also refused a free accommodation offer from a friend in Florida because the house was only five minutes from US President Donald Trump’s Mar‑a‑Lago estate. “I had no desire to travel to this World Cup, and even if I had, the location of the house turned me off,” Hoeneß said. He emphasized that football should remain affordable, pointing to Bayern’s relatively cheap season tickets as an example.

Hoeneß’s comments add to a broader debate about FIFA’s pricing strategy and the commercialization of major sporting events.