New York (CNN) — Watching soccer superstar Leo Messi debut in the New York area could cost you as much as dining at famed Peter Luger steakhouse.
This Saturday’s Inter Miami match is Messi’s first in the Major League Soccer regular season, and the demand to see him is driving ticket prices nearly 1,000% higher than usual for the New York Red Bulls. York.
Ticket seller VividSeats told CNN that the median price for this weekend’s game is $483. That’s much higher than the $46 it usually costs to get a ticket for the MLS team. , who plays in Harrison, New Jersey (a half hour from Manhattan).
A search on VividSeats reveals that some seats cost as much as $3,600 for the front row, but you have to buy all four, for a total of almost $15,000. Of course, there are plenty of cheaper seats, with some as “low” as $345.
Messi debuts this weekend in New York. Credit: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
For the New York Red Bulls, Messi’s appearance is “the most expensive ticket for the Red Bulls in over a decade,” a VividSeats spokesperson told CNN. The second most expensive game for a ticket was a friendly with FC Barcelona in July 2022, when a ticket cost about US$270.
Prices for MLS games Messi plays in have skyrocketed since the 36-year-old entered the American competition. He, too, has been on a roll since his arrival in the United States last month. Last weekend, he led Inter Miami to the Leagues Cup and bagged the club’s first trophy. The Leagues Cup is an annual tournament between MLS and Mexico’s Liga MX.
The pressure will intensify for Messi this weekend as Inter Miami try to move out of the bottom spot of the MLS standings and possibly into playoff contention as the season draws to a close in October. .
The “Messimania” also extends beyond the pitch. Apple said subscriptions to its soccer streaming package have skyrocketed since Messi joined in July. And Adidas reported that demand for Messi’s shirt has been “truly unprecedented”, causing a backlog of orders through October.
2023-08-22 17:56:00
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