MIAMI — A global soccer icon is set to suit up for Inter Miami CF this year after Lionel Messi chose the MLS club as the next step in his already glorious career.
His arrival is imminent as Messi is expected to make his MLS debut with Inter Miami at a July 21 home game, the team confirmed Tuesday.
Owner Jorge Mas also told selected outlets on Monday that his club and Messi have agreed to terms and are finalizing paperwork and a visa. The team confirmed certain details Tuesday to The Associated Press, including that Messi will be signing a contract through the end of the 2025 season with an option for 2026.
But ever since it was first reported the Argentine forward will be heading to South Beach, the buzz was so grand that ticket prices not only skyrocketed for Inter Miami but every MLS team they will be facing also.
If we're getting technical, Messi's first game with Inter Miami won't be an MLS match. Instead, it will be part of the Leagues Cup — a month-long competition between all teams in MLS and Mexico's Liga MX. That game will be against Mexican side Cruz Azul. The cheapest ticket before Messi's announcement was sold at $29. As of Wednesday evening, the cheapest priced ticket according to TickPick is available for $1,371.
Some might assume that since the game involves fans from a different country, that's why ticket prices increased heavily, but if we take a look at the teams Inter Miami will go up against for the remainder of the season when Messi joins, there is not much of a difference.
After the Leagues Cup, Miami has the following games at home for the remainder of the 2023 MLS Season:
- Charlotte FC, Aug. 20
- Nashville SC, Aug. 30
- Sporting Kansas City, Sept. 9
- Toronto FC, Sept. 20
- New York City FC, Sept. 30
- FC Cincinnati, Oct. 7
All fans can typically purchase single-game tickets for their favorite MLS team through their website, but when Messi said he'll be playing for Inter Miami, the club now requires fans to fill out a form for anyone "interested in learning more about Single Match Tickets in 2023." Fans are also not able to view the prices of single-game tickets unless they go to another online marketplace for tickets to events, such as Ticketmaster.
Ticketmaster only shows prices for the game against New York City FC, whereas SeatGeek, TickPick and StubHub all have tickets available for each of Inter Miami's remaining MLS games.
The lowest-priced ticket — as of Wednesday evening — from each specific online ticket marketplace for those games can be seen below:
- Inter Miami versus New York City FC: Cheapest priced ticket is at $348
- Inter Miami vs. Charlotte FC: Cheapest priced ticket is at $196
- Inter Miami vs. Nashville SC: Cheapest priced ticket is at $161
- Inter Miami vs. Sporting Kansas City: Cheapest priced ticket is at $160
- Inter Miami vs. Toronto FC: Cheapest priced ticket is at $153
- Inter Miami vs. New York City FC: Cheapest priced ticket is at $178
- Inter Miami vs. FC Cincinnati: Cheapest priced ticket is at $198
- Inter Miami vs. Charlotte FC: Cheapest priced ticket is at $266
- Inter Miami vs. Nashville SC: Cheapest priced ticket is at $209
- Inter Miami vs. Sporting Kansas City: Cheapest priced ticket is at $229
- Inter Miami vs. Toronto FC: Cheapest priced ticket is at $225
- Inter Miami vs. New York City FC: Cheapest priced ticket is at $238
- Inter Miami vs. FC Cincinnati: Cheapest priced ticket is at $259
- Inter Miami vs. Charlotte FC: Cheapest priced ticket is at $217
- Inter Miami vs. Nashville SC: Cheapest priced ticket is at $168
- Inter Miami vs. Sporting Kansas City: Cheapest priced ticket is at $178
- Inter Miami vs. Toronto FC: Cheapest priced ticket is at $171
- Inter Miami vs. New York City FC: Cheapest priced ticket is at $198
- Inter Miami vs. FC Cincinnati: Cheapest priced ticket is at $218
Although some ticket service companies sell cheaper tickets than others, there will be certain fees added that will drive the price for each ticket higher.
Inter Miami will on the road with Messi on the team against FC Cincinnati, New York Red Bulls, Los Angeles FC, Atlanta United, Orlando City SC, Chicago Fire FC and Charlotte FC. Fans can check out ticket information for those games through each team's website or an online ticket marketplace. Ticket prices should be expected to be higher than $150.
Moral of the story: Anyone planning to see Messi this year should expect to pay a pretty penny.
Messi's contract will be worth $50 million to $60 million per year, the team said Tuesday. He cannot sign until sometime in July after his contract with Paris Saint-Germain expires.
Messi, 35, announced on June 7 that he was joining Miami. The team also confirmed Tuesday that it is increasing capacity at DRV PNK Stadium by 3,000 to 3,200 seats in the next four weeks by filling in the corners, raising capacity to about 22,000.
Miami also is reportedly finalizing a contract with midfielder Sergio Busquets, Messi's former Barcelona teammate.
Mas said he hopes to start construction during the next two weeks on Miami Freedom Park, the team’s long-term home near Miami International Airport, and is targeting to have the venue open in the summer or fall of 2025.
Miami plans to enhance security, bussing players into the stadium for games, Mas said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.