Is Trump’s America scaring fans off the World Cup?
By now, the World Cup host country should be rolling in cash from all the tourists pouring into the country. But in America, tickets remain unsold, and hotel rooms unbooked. Is Trump to blame?
Listen to this article
What’s the story?
There's a problem. Nowhere near as many people as expected are going to the World Cup.
At least, that's how things currently look, with a reported 80% of hotels in host cities across the US reporting booking far below expectations for one of the biggest sporting events in the world.
The event has been marred by reports of price gouging, with corporate greed alongside the actions of Donald Trump since returning to power suggested by many as the reason for so many football fans choosing to stay away.
Any British fans wanting to see England play Panama on 27 June will have to pay a return train fare of $150 to get to and from the stadium – which would cost just $13 at any other time.
Walking's not an option, because the New Jersey Metlife stadium is surrounded by 12 miles of nothing but roads and car parks, making pedestrians a danger to drivers, and themselves.
"People seem to be staying away," says Jon Sopel.
"Maybe the Iran war has something to do with it, but you're also seeing incredible price gouging going on, so, greed is playing a role in it as well."
Will the US lose money by hosting the World Cup?
The tourism industry in America faced a decline of 5.5% in 2025, which translates to a loss of about $8 billion income.
"Something is not working right now," says Emily Maitlis, adding that a host country should be experiencing a huge boost to its tourism industry, not empty hotel rooms and unsold seats less than two weeks before the games begin.
"In a World Cup year, the question a host country should be asking is, how much above-average tourism will it see," she says.
"The figures coming out of the last year seems to suggest it is not just about the greed of the World Cup, it is not just about the warnings that they've issued in the last two weeks, it is about something which is potentially more profound.
"Is the Donald Trump effect putting people off America?"
And if Donald Trump didn't put people off, then JD Vance may have done the job for him. In 2025, after the announcement that the US would host in 2026, he threatened ticket-holders with a visit from Kristi Noem, former US secretary of homeland security, if they didn’t leave the country promptly after the event.
“We want them to celebrate, we want them to watch the game, but when the time is up, they'll have to go home," Vance said.
"Otherwise, they'll have to talk to Secretary Noem.”
'Everything you've heard is wrong. I have data no one else has seen'
Nick Adams, Trump's tourism ambassador, tells Emily and Jon to lighten up.
"You're taking this a little too seriously," he says.
"I don't think that there's anything wrong with what the Vice President said. He was using a little bit of humour.
"I think that the United States can protect its borders while at the same time opening its doors."
Adams also insists anyone saying there has been a decline in US tourism is incorrect.
“That is not the reality. That is what is being reported,” he says, before claiming to have access to data no one else in the world has seen, that shows all the media reporting is wrong.
“I can tell you that we're very pleased with where we're at. I can tell you that this World Cup is going to be hugely successful.”
He refuses to answer a question about whether the world is put off by Donald Trump, answering simply by saying he is “the number one fan of the President of the United States.”
Can tourists turn off 'political blinkers'?
Adams states that tourism is a time to “nourish your soul” and that people should remove their political “blinkers” before making a decision on where to visit.
Which might be easier to do if we hadn’t seen ICE Agents killing civilians on US streets just this year.
He claims America is neither unsafe, expensive or unwelcoming, and says no new policy has been implemented to check anyone’s social media – despite a proposal made by the department of homeland security demanding exactly that of visitors from 40 countries, including the UK.