If you bill it, they will come: FIFA wins battle for fans' wallets in pricey World Cup

NEW YORK, July 18 : Sunday's final caps a World Cup where fans were willing to shell out more than ever for a seat at the quadrennial showpiece, as ticket buyers confounded even the greatest cynics in the face of sky-high prices.In the match at New York New Jersey Stadium - widely billed as the single most expensive sporting event ever played in the United States - Lionel Messi's Argentina face Spain and their teenage superstar Lamine Yamal.It is a fitting end to a tournament that has tested the limits of what fans will spend, with FIFA's gamble paying off after concerns over visa restrictions and domestic unrest in the United States."What FIFA did a very good job of was determining what demand would be because people (were) paying these absurd prices for just about all the 104 matches," s