Fantastic prices for tickets for the final. FIFA 'praises itself'
Kylian Mbappe, the star and captain of the French national team, had mixed feelings after losing 4/6 to England in the bronze medal match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Mbappe said in remarks quoted by beIN Sports after the match, "We appeared with two different faces, in the first half we did not respect the shirt of our country and we let down our coach in his last match, and we came out four goals behind."
The Roosters captain added in statements quoted by the German news agency: "What happened woke us up from sleep between the two halves, and we were mentally present strongly in the second half, and this is to the credit of our coach Didier Deschamps, who we wanted to give him something."
The French star talked about topping the list of the all-time top scorers of the World Cup with 22 goals, a goal difference from the Argentine star Lionel Messi, and the top scorer of the 2026 World Cup with 10 goals, two goals behind Messi as well.
"Honestly, I would have preferred to reach the final of the World Cup and be crowned the top scorer of the tournament," Mbappe said, concluding his remarks, "Messi is always present, and he will score tomorrow in the final."
FIFA: The 2026 World Cup was a success
The International Federation of Football Federation's (FIFA) Technical Studies Group (FIFA) has announced that the expansion of the World Cup from 32 to 48 teams has been successful, according to an analysis it conducted.
Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said during a press conference ahead of the final match between Spain and Argentina that fears that the expanded system could turn into a disaster for some small teams had not materialised, stressing that the technical level of the tournament was "very high".
Wenger explained that the gap between the big and minor teams is shrinking, citing for example Cape Verde, which reached the last 32 in its first World Cup appearance, and lost to Argentina only after going to extra time.
Wenger explained that the data collected showed that some changes in the enforcement of the rules proved effective, as many goal kicks were carried out more quickly, and the number of medical interventions within matches decreased. Before the tournament began, referees were instructed to limit such delays or to punish teams where necessary.
The study found that goalkeepers were leaving the goal line more frequently to keep the balls out of their fists, and former Swiss goalkeeper Pascal Zuberboller said this was partly because they were more protected.
Record prices for World Cup Final tickets
Any football fan looking for a last-minute ticket to catch up on the highly anticipated clash between Argentina's Lionel Messi and Spaniard Lamine Yamal in the 2026 World Cup final.
The official FIFA ticketing website offered the cheapest tickets on Saturday morning at $25,6411 for mid-height seats behind the goal, which were sold out by lunchtime.
Tickets for seats in the corners of the upper amphitheater cost close to $10,000, and the ticket for seats closest to the stadium cost $16,000, compared to $60,000 for private hospitality seats.
Other sites have also offered tickets for the upper stands at prices starting at around $10,000, while some lower terrace seats have been priced at around $35,000.
The Argentine team is looking to win the World Cup for the second time in a row and the fourth time in its history, repeating the feat achieved by Brazil by winning two consecutive titles in 1958 and 1962. Spain won the title once in 2010.