Miami pays the price for Messi with record-breaking ticket prices

Inter Miami fans are paying the price for Lionel Messi. Starting in 2024, Inter Miami will have the world’s most expensive season tickets for soccer.

Major League Soccer’s team contacted season ticket holders on Thursday with details on the new pricing. Inter Miami’s most expensive season ticket categorized as “Standard” is $2,720. In Inter Miami’s “Premium” section, the season ticket prices range from $4,420 to $45,900.

Inter Miami fan Pieter Brown, host of Futbol Miami TV, has seen a price increase of 171% from 2023 to 2024 for his seats in section 115.

When Inter Miami first launched in 2020, you could buy a season ticket in the “NW Midfield” Premium section for $2,125. That same seat in 2024 costs $4,240 – a price increase of 99%.

It is not just the premium seats where ticket prices have skyrocketed. For the cheapest tickets, prices for Supporters Section season tickets have increased 104% from 2020 to 2024. The cheapest ticket next season is $867 for the season of 17 games.

How Inter Miami season ticket prices compare in world soccer

In comparison with other teams who are in the top tier of world soccer, the most expensive season ticket for a Premier League club is Tottenham, which costs $2,498. The average price for a season ticket to a Real Madrid game is $522. Want to see Barcelona play? The most expensive season ticket for Blaugrana is $1,021.

The irony is that Inter Miami plays at a temporary stadium with inadequate facilities that are not commensurate with the prices they are charging fans. Instead, Inter Miami is squeezing out every dime it can of the Lionel Messi craze.

Brown went so far as to call the bump in costs price gouging.

“They have now priced out a percentage of their fanbase,” Brown told World Soccer Talk. “Soccer in the US has always been a cheap to reasonably priced sporting event, not anymore. It shows that they don’t care if you renew because there is a long waiting list to purchase season tickets.”

Inter Miami’s current listings for ticket prices are helping the club as it pays for superstars and stadium construction.

“Everybody wants the best players in the world on their team. You want the best, you have to be willing to pay for it. Building state-of-the-art training facilities, stadiums and players at Messi’s caliber are expensive, and the owners are going to pass on some of that expense to the fans.”

Can Miami fill the demand that matches the price?

One of the major concerns for the club is ensuring that there are people out there who can fill the season ticket waiting lists. Since Messi joined, DRV PNK Stadium has seen two styles of games. On one hand, games are packed to the brim with fans trying to see the Argentine. On the other hand, Inter Miami games have cleared out when he does not play. Even as a substitute, there is a mass exodus from the stadium when Tata Martino pulls him off.

With the season tickets going up in price by such a margin, Inter Miami may be scaring away a set of fans or potential supporters. Inter Miami has put pressure on itself to always be a spectacle with season tickets being so expensive.

“People for the most part will show up while Messi is playing, but once he’s gone, they better get the next best thing. They have now set much higher expectations and they have to deliver.”

Additional reporting by Christopher Harris.