World Cup Final Tickets Reach Historic Prices Ahead of Messi, Argentina vs. Spain

The World Cup has already been an exorbitantly expensive event, pricing out many soccer fans.

So it's perhaps no surprise that tickets for the final between Argentina and Spain are selling for eye-watering amounts:

At the time of publication, the cheapest individual ticket on StubHub was $7,868. And that's before factoring in the price of potential flights, hotels, transportation and food during the stay.

While the resale market has contributed to the ridiculous costs, Henry Bushnell, Emily Giambalvo and Jonah Smith of The Athletic reported a month ago, "When World Cup organizers FIFA first put tickets on sale last October, prices were already the highest in World Cup history. Then, over the months that followed, FIFA raised them using a 'variable pricing' scheme—also known as dynamic pricing. ... For instance, FIFA's Category 1 prices in the 2026 group stage, excluding openers, range from $450 to $990. In 2022, the same tickets cost $220. Category 1 tickets for the 2026 quarterfinals cost at least $1,360—up from $425 at the last World Cup."

The World Cup is one of the best sporting events we have, and this year's edition was brilliant. A final between Spain and Argentina should be incredibly compelling, as the dominant Spaniards try to prevent Lionel Messi from leading his country to a second straight title.

But if you want to pay for the pleasure to watch the match in person, be prepared to spend obscene amounts of money.