Dreams turn to nightmares as soaring ticket prices impact Argentina's fans

World Cup fever has reached its peak in New York. Just hours before the final between Argentina and Spain, thousands of Argentine fans keep arriving in the city with the same dream: to be at MetLife Stadium to support Lionel Scaloni's team in their quest for another title.

However, for many, that dream is turning into a real nightmare.

The cheapest tickets for the final were offered for around $7,000 both on FIFA's official resale platform and on specialised sites like Viagogo, StubHub, and Vivid Seats. But those tickets disappeared quickly.

With demand at historic levels and supply increasingly scarce, the resale market has exploded. Today, finding a ticket for less than $8,500 is practically impossible, while the best seats are reaching prices close to $200,000 - figures unimaginable even for a World Cup final.

MetLife Stadium will have a capacity of around 82,500 spectators, and a true Argentine invasion is expected. Estimates suggest that around 60,000 Argentine fans will try to fill the stands with sky blue and white, although many of them still haven't secured a ticket.

On the streets of Manhattan, WhatsApp groups, Telegram, and social media have become a permanent marketplace where hundreds of Argentines are desperately searching for last-minute tickets.

"I'm willing to pay up to 10,000 dollars for each ticket, using all my savings," a fan who travelled from Mendoza told Flashscore, hoping to get a ticket before the match.

Not everyone can keep up

"I can't pay more than 5,000 dollars, and just look at the amount we're talking about. It's crazy, it can't be that FIFA allows all this. Chiqui Tapia, do something," complained another Argentine supporter while searching around the stadium for any opportunity.

For some, the dream of seeing the national team in another World Cup final will come true, though at an unprecedented financial cost. For thousands of others, the trip will be marked by the uncertainty of spending hours negotiating with scalpers or, ultimately, resigning themselves to watching the match from New York's bars and giant screens.

What is guaranteed, though, is the Argentine spirit. With or without a ticket, the city is already awash in sky blue and white. And while the resale market breaks all records, the passion of the fans once again proves that, to follow the national team, many are willing to go to the very limit of their means.

Check the match details on Flashscore.