Fifa releases over 1,000 World Cup final tickets at eye-watering prices

Nearly 1,200 high-priced tickets for the World Cup final on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, were unexpectedly released by Fifa on Friday. The governing body's last-minute sales site , which had previously indicated the game was sold out, listed 1,178 Category 2 seats available at $7,380 each. These seats were distributed across five sections of the top deck along the sidelines, including 282 in section 344, 299 in section 343, 139 in section 335, 443 in section 334, and 15 in section 333. For those seeking a more premium experience, Fifa also offered 68 front Category 1 tickets in the lower deck, with prices ranging from $19,995 to $32,970. Exclusive hospitality packages in the Trophy Lounge and Trophy Lounge+ sections, which include food and drinks, were also available at $34,500 and $32,500 respectively. Soccer's governing body did not immediately respond to inquiries regarding the sudden availability of these additional tickets. The final will take place at New York New Jersey Stadium on 19 July (Reuters) Beyond the final, tickets for Saturday's quarterfinal match between Argentina and Switzerland at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, were also on sale, priced between $1,600 to $3,995. On Fifa's official marketplace, resale tickets for the final were listed from $7,440.50 to $11,499,998.85. France moved one step closer to reaching the showpiece event on Thursday when they beat Morocco 2-0 in their quarterfinal clash in Boston. Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele scored the goals to send the 2018 world champions through to the semifinals. They will face either Spain or Belgium next Tuesday, with the two European nations due to meet in their own quarterfinal on Friday evening. Meanwhile, on the other side of the draw, England will play Erling Haaland’s Norway on Saturday in Miami for a spot in the final four. The last quarterfinal will see Lionel Messi’s Argentina take on Switzerland. Argentina are still on course to defend their title but they have been pushed hard in their last two matches. They were taken to extra time by Cape Verde in the Round of 32, and then came from two goals down to beat Egypt in the last-16.