Consequences of Messi's absence at Inter Miami: From the most expensive tickets in history to the cheapest tickets
There is no aspect of American soccer that Lionel Messi hasn't made an impact on since playing for Inter Miami. His outstanding performance has caused a stir in Major League Soccer (MLS), where the public pays large sums of money to watch him play every week. But this effect has also been shown in reverse in recent days, since the Argentine star returned to the team to compete in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
On Sunday morning, the team coached by Gerardo Martino welcomed Sporting Kansas City at DRV PNK Stadium, a match in which Inter Miami did not have La Pulga. And the Messi effect becomes clear again: ticket prices have dropped significantly.
Although on Ticketmaster, the official ticketing site of the MLS, tickets are sold for a minimum of $100, popular resale platforms - such as Stubhub or TicketNetwork - offer much more accessible numbers .
There fans can buy tickets starting at $20 and there are promotions at certain times for discounts. Many of the 20,000 seats at DRV PNK Stadium may be empty this weekend without the Argentine star.
To put the huge contrast into perspective, the same resale platforms mentioned already have tickets available starting at $117 for the match Inter Miami will play next Thursday (Sept. 21) against Toronto FC, the day Messi will probably return after scoring a goal from a direct free kick against Ecuador.
Before Leo came to Miami, Inter Miami tickets cost nearly $10 for some matches. But since the Argentine's arrival, costs have increased and each of his performances in MLS has become more exciting than the last.
The last match Messi played for Inter Miami before going to Argentina was against Los Angeles FC at BMO in Los Angeles, California. According to CNN, based on TickPick, the ticket price for that match was "the most expensive in history" for an MLS match.
On average, official tickets cost $690, which represents a 527% increase over the average ticket price for an MLS match, as they used to be worth around $110 at this venue, where Inter Miami won won 3-1 thanks to goals from Facundo Farias, Jordi Alba and Leonardo Campana. Remember, when Messi made his MLS debut, ticket prices to watch the New York Red Bulls in the Big Apple increased by 1,000%.
