It isn’t going to be easy to catch a Lionel Messi game once he’s in Miami.
When the legendary soccer star announced he was joining MLS’s Inter Miami club on Wednesday, ticket prices for the team’s games took off, according to tech company Logitix.
Before Messi’s stunning move, the average ticket price for a game at DRV PNK Stadium was $15.
Now, they’re up to $230 — a 1,398% increase.
Ticket sales increased fourfold in the days since compared to the previous 169 days.
It’s not just home games, either.
Per Logitix, the average away game ticket price of $94 jumped 119% to $207.
The cheapest ticket for a New York Red Bulls-Inter Miami game in August was $438 at one point on Wednesday.
Lionel Messi’s MLS announcement caused league-wide ticket prices to skyrocket.Getty ImagesMessi’s arrival is sure to inflate Inter Miami’s attendance numbers, which have been horrendous in the past.
In 2022, Miami’s MLS squad averaged only 12,637 fans a game, while its total attendance was 214,833 — both league-worst marks.
Messi will also inject some much-needed excitement onto a team that currently sits in last place in MLS’s Eastern Conference with a 5-11 record.
Catching a game at DRV PNK Stadium is even more costly now.Getty ImagesThe team has been through some tumult recently — it fired coach Phil Neville last week and has placed interim coach Javier Morales in charge.
Messi’s impending arrival has already generated hype in a Miami sports scene that is on the rise, with the NBA’s Heat and NHL’s Panthers playing for their league championships.
“Obviously, he is one of the greatest players to play the beautiful game,” Heat star Jimmy Butler told reporters Thursday. “I’m so excited for the city of Miami, to be able to have a player of that caliber here.”
The move to Inter Miami, which has been linked to Messi since its inception in 2018, came even as Barcelona and Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal hoped to land the Argentine superstar.
