“Messi-mania” is giving the first results in MLS.
Ticket prices for this Sunday’s match between Inter Miami and Los Angeles FC are the most expensive in the history of a Major League Soccer match.
According to TickPick, average prices are around $690, a 527% increase over the average MLS match ticket price, which was $110 before soccer superstar Leo Messi signed for David Beckham’s team.
With the game just two days away, the cheapest ticket to see Messi take on last year’s MLS Cup winners will cost $785. Without Messi, prices drop significantly, with the cheapest ticket for the following LAFC match being 80% cheaper, costing just $151, according to TickPick.
TickPick CEO Brett Goldberg told CNN that the market “is likely to stabilize prices at their current level, although there is potential for an upward price swing due to increased demand for tickets.”
Plus according to Goldberg, LAFC is one of the most popular teams in MLS, so demand is always high, while we also have one of the biggest athletes in the world coming to town.
Messi’s performances have regularly influenced ticket prices since he joined MLS. For last week’s game, in which Messi made his regular debut, the prices were almost 1000% higher than usual.
“Messi’s mania” extends beyond the field. Apple said subscriptions to its soccer streaming package have increased since Messi joined in July. And Adidas said demand for Messi’s shirt has been “truly unprecedented”, causing a backlog of orders until October.
Retailer Soccer.com told CNN last week that eight of the best-selling shirts on its website are linked to Messi, including his Argentina national team shirt and Inter Miami’s new shirt.
Inter Miami’s shirt is now the best-selling MLS club shirt in every US state except Vermont, while before Messi landed it was the best-selling shirt only in Florida.