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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 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, although 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 COVID-19 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, highlighting the unprecedented demand for Sunday’s final.
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.
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.
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 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 manager Mauricio Pochettino will reportedly make a final decision on his future next week, with the World Cup co-hosts keen on tying him down to a new contract.
Pochettino’s current deal is due to run out at the end of July, but the US have already offered him fresh terms despite a heavy 4-1 defeat to Belgium in the second knockout round.
The former Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur manager took charge of the US in September 2024, replacing Gregg Berhalter.
He led the US 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 & Herzegovina in the round of 32.
US president Donald Trump even made a controversial attempt to help Pochettino’s side reach the quarter-finals for the first time since 2002.
However, 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 US hierarchy appears fully committed to Pochettino.
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