Argentine football fans have rushed to book seats on flights to the United States within hours after the national airline offered special flights to attend the World Cup final on Sunday against Spain in New Jersey, confirming the readiness of the country's football enthusiasts to pay almost any price to support the defending champions.

State-owned Aerolíneas Argentinas said that two special flights between Buenos Aires and New York had tickets released late Wednesday evening and were sold out by Thursday morning after filling the total capacity of 540 seats.

Ticket prices ranged around $5,000 for economy class and $10,000 for business class, far exceeding regular prices.

This record demand came after Argentina beat England 2-1 in Atlanta on Wednesday to advance to the final scheduled for July 19, while Spain qualified after beating France 2-0 on Tuesday.

The title decider will be held at the New York New Jersey stadium in East Rutherford.

The Aerolíneas Argentinas website showed no available seats on its flights to New York until July 21.

A company spokesperson added that flights to Miami were also fully booked, as South Florida serves as a transit hub for fans hoping to reach the final venue.

Other airlines still had seats available on Thursday, though most were on indirect flights rather than the direct flights dedicated to fans. American Airlines offered fares on its website for flights between Buenos Aires and New York for travel in July, while Copa and Latam listed options for travel between Buenos Aires and New York or Buenos Aires and Miami.

Travel company Despegar said that searches for flights to New York jumped by 6,000 percent in the hours after the final whistle, a clear sign of the extraordinary demand sparked by Argentina's quest to retain the world title.

For Argentines, whose love for the national team has repeatedly translated into costly support trips, the chance to see Lionel Messi's teammates face Spain for the world title seems to have outweighed any considerations about the high cost of travel.