Ticket prices for Inter Miami matches skyrocketed in the span of just a few hours Wednesday following reports that soccer legend Lionel Messi will leave Paris Saint-Germain for MLS—which he later confirmed—with the cheapest available tickets on the secondary market jumping more than 1,000% for Messi’s first matches with the club.
Key Takeaways
- The cheapest ticket for Inter Miami’s Leagues Cup match against Mexico City’s Cruz Azul on July 21—reported to be Messi’s first match with the club—jumped from $29 to $459, according to TickPick, following reports Wednesday morning that the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner will join David Beckham’s Inter Miami (Messi confirmed the reports in an interview with Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo).
- The get-in price for Miami’s home match against the New York Red Bulls on August 26—reported to be Messi’s first MLS match—jumped from $30 to $512, according to TickPick.
- Miami’s match against reigning MLS champion Los Angeles FC on September 3 also soared from $81 for the cheapest ticket to $599 in the immediate hours after multiple outlets reported the world’s second-highest-paid athlete is headed to Miami, following speculation he could rejoin his former club Barcelona or take a blockbuster deal to join the Saudi club Al-Hilal.
- The cheapest to that match listed on TicketiQ is even higher, at $684—a 686% increase from the get-in price at the start of the season ($87)—while the get-in price to Miami’s away match against Charlotte FC jumped 748% over the same time (from $42 to $356).
- Miami’s average home game ticket price also jumped from $152 at the start of the season to $935—a 515% increase, according to TicketiQ.
Big Number
14,522. That’s how many people searched for Inter Miami tickets on StubHub in the hour early Wednesday afternoon after it was reported Messi will join the MLS club. The cheapest available single ticket on StubHub for Miami’s Leagues Cup match against Cruz Azul costs a whopping $373, while a ticket on SeatGeek costs $334.
What We Don’t Know
How much Messi will get paid to join Inter Miami. Forbes estimates Messi earned $130 million last year, split evenly between on-field earnings and multiple lucrative contracts off the field, making him the second-highest-paid athlete in the world, only behind longtime rival Cristiano Ronaldo.
