FRISCO, Texas — When Lionel Messi joined Inter Miami, his impact was immediately felt.
The Sports Business Journal reported last week that Apple TV boasted roughly 700,000 MLS Season Pass subscribers in early June, which rose to nearly a million by Messi's debut vs. Cruz Azul. He shot Inter Miami's social media following to 13 million on Instagram as of this writing. It was less than 1 million before his signing.
Ticket prices immediately soared for his debut. Forbes reported Inter Miami ticket prices grew up to 500% ahead of his debut, and we are feeling the Messi mania now in DFW, too.
When Inter Miami and FC Dallas won their respective Round of 32 matches in Leagues Cup, setting up a date in Frisco, FC Dallas season ticket and VIP members got a first crack at snagging their spot to see Messi.
A presale email went out Wednesday night from 10:30 p.m. to 10:45 p.m., with the purchasing window beginning at 11 p.m. Tickets will start at $199 and will be available at price points of $199, $249, $399 and $499. Over 80% of the tickets will be at the $199 and $249 price points.
Messi mania crashed the website, online posts showed. So it's no surprise that Google searches for Inter Miami vs. FC Dallas tickets skyrocketed 4,800% in the last day.
FC Dallas vs. Inter Miami ticket information
Tickets went on sale to the general public on Thursday at 11 a.m. through the FC Dallas website. Tickets were sold out in under 10 minutes, per the team. The remaining available tickets were on sale through the secondary marketplace.
Tickets on the secondary market also showed astronomical prices to get in the building. Here are the lowest ticket prices we saw as of Saturday morning:
- Ticketmaster: $441
- Vivid Seats: $385
- StubHub: $430
- AXS: $400
When is the FC Dallas vs. Inter Miami game?
The match will be played on Sunday, Aug. 6. at 8:30 p.m. CT.
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