Fifa releases 1,200 'sold-out' World Cup final tickets at prices up to $32,970

Fifa released nearly 1,200 tickets for the World Cup final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on Friday, catching fans off guard after the governing body’s own last-minute sales site had previously shown the July 19 showpiece as sold out. The 1,178 Category 2 seats are priced at $7,380 each and are spread across five sections of the top deck along the sidelines.

The breakdown places 282 seats in section 344, 299 in section 343, 139 in section 335, 443 in section 334, and 15 in section 333. For those seeking a lower-deck view, Fifa also listed 68 Category 1 front seats ranging from $19,995 to $32,970, while hospitality packages in the Trophy Lounge and Trophy Lounge+ — both including food and drinks — are available at $34,500 and $32,500 respectively.

Fifa did not immediately respond to questions about why the tickets became available without explanation. On the governing body’s official resale marketplace, secondary listings for the final range from $7,440.50 to a staggering $11,499,998.85.

Beyond the final, tickets for Saturday’s quarterfinal between Argentina and Switzerland at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, are also on sale at between $1,600 and $3,995.

On the pitch, the field is beginning to take shape. France moved into the semifinals on Thursday with a 2-0 quarterfinal win over Morocco in Boston, Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele scoring to send the 2018 world champions through. They will face either Spain or Belgium next Tuesday.

England meet Norway in Miami on Saturday for a place in the last four, while Lionel Messi’s Argentina — still on course to defend their title — face Switzerland after surviving scares against Cape Verde, who took them to extra time, and Egypt, whom they trailed by two goals before fighting back in the last 16.