Remaining tickets for World Cup Final selling for £500,000 - while cheapest seat in the 'nosebleeds' retailing at £7,500

By PETER SHERIDAN and NICHOLAS PYKE Published: 23:21, 18 July 2026 | Updated: 23:23, 18 July 2026 There’s a choice of two free channels, ITV and BBC, for tonight’s World Cup Final – which is good news unless you happen to have a spare £500,000, because that’s the cost of the tickets still available for the clash between Spain and Argentina. With just two remaining at that extraordinary price, the front-row seats come with an excellent view of the half-time entertainment – including Madonna, Justin Bieber and Shakira – and access to the pitch for the trophy presentation. The seats, on the halfway line, were originally on sale at twice the price, but fan interest softened when powerhouse nations England and France were eliminated last week.  If you’re feeling the pinch and prefer to watch the game from the comfort of a VIP lounge at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium, expect to shell out £49,500. Even the cheapest tickets still on sale – high up in what the Americans call the ‘nose-bleed’ seats – will set you back £7,430. For those of us left at home, meanwhile, the cava and cervezas are on ice as millions rally behind Spain following England’s defeat to hated rivals Argentina. Social media has been flooded with pro-Spain sentiment and heavy insinuation that Fifa, world football’s governing body, has shown favouritism towards Lionel Messi’s Argentina. There has been worldwide criticism of the South Americans’ foul-heavy tactics during Wednesday’s semi-final in Atlanta, and the apparent leniency of the referee. Tongue-in-cheek posts abound showing Fifa head Gianni Infantino as ‘Princess’ Messi’s slave – and even his lover. One popular clip doing the rounds suggests that Fifa stands for ‘Fixing It For Argentina’. President Donald Trump will be at the game alongside Spain’s King Felipe VI and prime minister Pedro Sánchez. Security will be heavy with snipers on the roof and F16 fighter jets on standby – unprecedented for a ‘soccer’ match anywhere in the world. FIFA President Gianni Infantino. Social media has been flooded with pro-Spain sentiment and heavy insinuation that Fifa, world football’s governing body, has shown favouritism towards Lionel Messi ’s Argentina The MetLife stadium in New Jersey where the World Cup final will be played on Sunday. Tickets for the final cost as much as £500,000 But Argentina president Javier Milei, Trump’s political ally, is reportedly staying away, preferring his ritual of watching at home in the same oil-company jacket that has brought victory so far. Battered by familiar disappointment, England fans are turning to the one game where we really are top dog: black humour. One popular post claims ownership of a true British final in New Jersey, pitting ‘Northern Gibraltar’ against the ‘West Falklands’. Several memes refer to the debate raging about manager Thomas Tuchel’s tactics in the losing semi-final, condemned by many as overly defensive. Alleging that he ‘parked the bus’, one post shows a burned-out English double-decker blocking the goal mouth. Another shows the England manager ripping off a face mask to reveal that he was Gareth Southgate – Tuchel’s cautious predecessor – all along. But the last laugh goes to the Royal Marines Club. Commenting on the controversial ‘The Malvinas are Argentina’s’ bed-sheet banner unfurled after their victory over England, the club’s post says: ‘They held the same flag up in Port Stanley in 1982, but there wasn’t any writing on it.’