Final tickets reach insane prices, Bellingham tries to lift England spirits | OneFootball

We are less than 48 hours away from the highly anticipated 2026 FIFA World Cup final, as Spain bid to dethrone reigning champions Argentina in New Jersey.

Tonight’s mouth-watering third-place play-off tie between France and England will set the stage for Sunday’s showpiece, even though neither side was particularly eager to make the trip to Miami.

Fighting for the bronze medal wasn’t how Didier Deschamps would’ve wanted to end his long-term regime in Les Bleus’ dugout. Needless to say, this wasn’t why England appointed Thomas Tuchel in 2024.

Nevertheless, fans at Hard Rock Stadium should still be in for a treat, though it’s hardly comparable to the title-deciding fixture awaiting us on Sunday. Read on as we take a closer look at the major talking points ahead of the World Cup finale.

Ticket madness

When FIFA launched ticket sales for the 2026 World Cup final, the eye-watering prices left fans in disbelief.

Upper-deck seats started at $4,210, while tickets closer to the pitch cost $6,730. FIFA later pushed those prices even higher, with Category 1 seats reaching $10,990, prompting another wave of outrage from supporters around the world.

However, on the eve of Sunday’s showdown between Spain and Argentina, the secondary market has made even FIFA’s controversial prices look like bargains, with the upcoming final set to become the most expensive sporting event ever.

As of Thursday evening, the get-in price for the heavily anticipated match at MetLife Stadium was around $7,600, making this final more expensive than every Super Bowl after the pandemic.

It’s also on course to leave the last two NBA finals in its wake, considering they closed at $6,728 and $3,406, respectively, highlighting the unprecedented demand for Sunday’s final.

Though it sounds almost unreal, the cheapest available ticket on FIFA’s resale platform was $8,280 as of Thursday, even though it offered a seat in the third-to-last row of an upper-deck corner section of the stadium.

The prospect of watching Lionel Messi’s final World Cup match has undoubtedly pushed demand to another level. Yet, the event had already generated record-breaking interest well before Argentina secured their place in the ultimate game.

Bellingham urges England to thrive in the face of adversity

Tuchel’s naive idea that England could defend against Argentina for over 30 minutes without trying to play football backfired epically, causing unrest among those back home.

But despite failing to reach a World Cup final for the first time since 1966, England can still secure their best finish since lifting the trophy on home soil six decades ago with a win over France.

It would be a consolation prize, yet Jude Bellingham, who was unhappy with Tuchel’s words after the quarter-final win over Norway, has urged his side to stay united and bounce back from the semi-final heartbreak.

The Real Madrid midfielder has been brilliant throughout this tournament, netting six goals and winning four ‘Man of the Match’ awards, but his impressive exploits were not enough to send the Three Lions to New Jersey.

Argentina’s stunning comeback in Atlanta gave Bellingham and his teammates a bitter pill to swallow. However, motivation ahead of tonight’s clash came from an unlikely source.

Team driver Michael Chandler wrote an emotional poem in an attempt to restore a feel-good factor, and he may have succeeded, as Bellingham took to Instagram to share the handwritten four-page ode to England’s tournament.

“Thank you for the unbelievable support from back home and to those who spent their hard-earned money to travel to America and get behind us,” the 23-year-old stated.

“Don’t let the unity and love we’ve seen in our country end with this campaign. When we’re together we can achieve big things… And we will! Love you!”

Pochettino coy on his United States future after World Cup exit

United States coach Mauricio Pochettino will reportedly make a final decision on his future next week, with the World Cup co-hosts keen on tying the 54-year-old down to a new contract.

Pochettino’s current deal is due to run out at the end of July, but the USMNT have already offered him fresh terms despite a heavy 4-1 defeat to Belgium in the second knockout round.

Furthermore, US Soccer CEO & Secretary General JT Batson recently confirmed he was optimistic about convincing the Argentine coach to pledge his allegiance to the national team in the near future.

The former Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur manager took charge of the US in September 2024, replacing Gregg Berhalter. He led the USMNT to the 2025 Gold Cup final, where they lost to Mexico in heartbreaking fashion.

However, he inspired the US to two group-stage victories at a World Cup for the first time since their maiden appearance in 1930 before guiding them past Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32.

Donald Trump even made a controversial attempt to help Pochettino’s side reach the quarter-finals for the first time since 2002, but FIFA’s decision to lift Folarin Balogun’s red-card suspension came to nothing as Belgium outclassed the US in Seattle.

Unfazed by that embarrassing loss and the fact that over 50 million people across the country watched the team being humbled in a home setting, the USMNT hierarchy appears fully committed to Pochettino.

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Deschamps’ final game in charge of France will also be his 27th World Cup match as Les Bleus boss, and there’s little doubt he will be determined to end his remarkable tenure with one final victory.

The 57-year-old has already overseen more games than any other French manager (186), and his incredible 77% win rate at the World Cup perhaps best illustrates his success since taking over from Laurent Blanc in 2012.

While all the eyes will be on Kylian Mbappe, it’s Bayern Munich winger Michael Olise who could make history in this unwanted fixture.

Having provided five assists in his maiden World Cup campaign, the former Crystal Palace star needs only one more to equal Pele’s all-time record of six in a single tournament.