When Lionel Messi walks into an MLS stadium for the first time, he will be greeted by a packed stadium of adoring fans, many of whom likely paid exorbitant amounts to see the wizard from Rosario, Argentina. When Lionel Messi enters an MLS stadium for the second time, he will be greeted with the same reception. And the third time, and the fourth time, and every other time. Messiwithout putting pen to paper with Inter Miami, it’s already the biggest draw the league has seen since David Beckham arrived in 2007.

That amount was visible at ticket offices across MLS on Wednesday. Teams across MLS that are set to host Miami this season there was a massive movement in ticket sales even before Messi made his decision official late in the afternoon. This was also true for matches in which Messi is unlikely to play.

go deeper

GO DEEPER

How the signing of Lionel Messi will affect Inter Miami, MLS and American football

After leaving Paris Saint-Germain as a free agent, Messi will become a Miami player on July 5 when the league’s secondary transfer window opens. Three days later, Inter Miami will travel to the capital to face DC United at Audi Field. With no confirmation of whether Messi will appear, demand for tickets has seen prices go through the roof. For DC’s next league game at home against Real Salt Lake, the cheapest tickets available through Ticketmaster (the club’s official ticketing partner) are $29. For the Miami trip in July, the cheapest ticket on sale at the time of writing is $186 without fees – with that number rising by the minute. According to a source with inside knowledge of sales numbers but not authorized to speak publicly, DC has sold more than 3,000 tickets since news of Messi’s possible arrival, likely 4,500 by the end of the day, and fans they may not even get the chance to see it in action. Those around the league don’t think Messi will make his MLS debut until July at the earliest.

The increase in sales was consistent across MLS, and has been a big help for Miami, which ranked last in MLS attendance last season with an average of 12,637 fans per game.

League sources briefed on early planning for Messi’s arrival have pointed to a July 21 match against Mexican side Cruz Azul as Messi’s debut in front of a home crowd. The game is one of the first games in the new Leagues Cup, a competition created between MLS and the Mexican league, Liga MX. Tickets for the Cruz Azul game are now sold out, according to Ticketmaster.

Agents and season ticket holders looking to resell tickets purchased at face value will benefit immensely from Messi’s arrival in MLS. With no alternative, fans will be forced to shop the expensive second-hand market to secure tickets to see Miami in person. It will also benefit team owners who have signed ticket contracts that receive a share of the revenue from secondary sales. For context, a single ticket to Game 3 of the NBA Finals in Miami is cheaper at the time of writing ($333) than witnessing Messi’s potential debut ($373), with tickets currently only available on the StubHub resale.

go deeper

GO DEEPER

Lionel Messi will join MLS side Inter Miami

The story is the same for Atlanta United, scheduled to host Messi and Miami in mid-September. For this match, they are expected to open their stadium to maximum capacity once the signing is officially confirmed by the league. Typically, they average around 50,000 spectators; when Messi arrives, they expect a sell-out crowd that could exceed 70,000. While demand for tickets will ease at the opening of their Mercedes Benz Stadium upper bowl, tickets are currently on sale for a minimum of $350 (excluding fees), which could still go up.

The Chicago Fire are expecting a boost when they host Miami. Until October 4, when Messi visits Soldier Field, he will be on a rock-star-like tour across the United States. The Fire had sold just under 10,000 tickets for the game in the months since the schedule was announced. By Wednesday afternoon, they had sold another 7,000, according to a team spokesman. The expectation is that they could end up matching that 10,000 number by the end of the day — and that’s with prices in the $200s and up to $10,000 in United’s Soldier Field clubhouse.

Charlotte FC had sold more than 10,000 tickets by Wednesday afternoon, according to a spokesman, and opened the upper bowl at Bank of America Stadium, which can seat more than 74,000 fans. Fans of LAFC, one of two Western Conference teams that play host to Messi, won’t secure a seat at BMO Stadium for anything less than $350, almost ten times the price for the visit of the Colorado Rapids in August.

“It’s a great opportunity for our fans to see perhaps the best soccer player of all time,” said Zach Lahey, spokesman for the New York Red Bulls, who will host Miami on Aug. 26 after previously hosting friendlies with Argentina national team and FC. Barcelona. “We had him here last fall with Argentina, and we expect similar demands to what we had with FC Barcelona.”


LAFC ticket prices on Wednesday for the home match against Inter Miami


LAFC ticket prices on Wednesday for home game against Colorado Rapids, two weeks before Inter Miami visit

Short-term hype will transcend generations and specific football interests. Watching Messi in Miami is as fresh and new as it gets for a league without a global superstar capable of producing all-stars since Zlatan Ibrahimovic left in 2019. That Messi is coming off a World Cup win less than a year ago that attracted more than 25 million viewers in English and Spanish language coverage has only added to that celebrity. It was part of the equation in a deal to bring it to the US, and why corporate partners like Apple and Adidas are involved in the negotiations.

Three years before the United States hosts the World Cup, Messi’s impact on the sport has the potential to be lasting. This change needs to happen in more than just the ticket booth, but for now its popularity and immediate impact on revenue sheds light on how a player can bring a bright, bright center.

(Photo: Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)



RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here