Inter Miami, a last place team barely alive to make the 2023 playoffs, and recent losers of the US Open Cup have one great commodity in another wise mediocre world, Lionel Messi. The brass at Inter Miami want to cash in on the Messi express and will do so by hiking season ticket prices for the 2024 MLS season.
Fans took to social media to express their dismay at some of the pricing for the games, as in most cases season tickets have doubled for the MLS side. Season tickets for the North stand in 2023 was $485, in 2024 that same seat will cost $884.
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A lower-level midfield season ticket was $3,600 in 2024 that same seat will cost $7,650 roughly $450 per game. MLS has historically been the cheapest sporting ticket in town, especially in major markets like New York, Miami, or New England, but the arrival of the Argentine has Inter Miami and MLS markets trying to cash in.
Inter Miami season tickets compared to other sports
The average Inter Miami single game ticket next season could be between the $50-$80 range, when compared to the other major sports seeing Messi and company is still a bargain. NFL tickets in 2022 ranged from $112 on average, while NBA tickets could be from $90-$120 in some markets.
At first glance it is a no brainer that a team paying one player $50 million per year plus major incentives would need to recuperate that salary somewhere, but while Inter Miami have improved, they have also continued to show they are very much a Messi dependent team, showcased by their recent MLS skid and loss in the US Open Cup final.
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Lionel Messi will still be one of the hottest tickets in MLS and sports when he and Inter Miami enter year 2 of the grand plan, 2024 is the season the club will go for broke, search for the MLS Cup and other silverware along the way. It could be a magical but pricey experience for a family of four.