Messi-powered Inter Miami sticks it to fans by wildly raising ticket prices
Inter Miami languished in last in the Eastern Conference early in the Major League Soccer season, but 2023 has turned into a season to remember.
The club won its first major trophy, the Leagues Cup, during the summer with help from ex-Barcelona players Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets and superstar Lionel Messi.
Interest in Messi-fueled Inter Miami has never been higher. The club is one of the most popular American sports franchises on social media and among the top 10 global soccer organizations, too.
More than one million people tuned into Miami's recent U.S. Open Cup final against Houston on Telemundo alone. Hundreds of thousands more watched the game's English-language coverage on Paramount+. That's not too shabby for a mid-week game without Messi, who missed the game while nursing an injury.
To capitalize on this interest, Inter Miami released its 2024 season-ticket pricing Thursday evening. Major jumps in pricing were expected, but Miami hiked prices more than anyone anticipated. The cost of most seats will increase by 200% or more for next season, with no discounts or incentives available for current season ticket holders.
As the Miami Herald reported, Miami's cheapest season ticket will jump from $485 in 2023 to $884 in 2024. Its mid-level tickets will jump from $3,600 to $7,650. Because Miami's season tickets only cover the 17 home games of MLS' 34-game regular season, that works out to $52 per game for the cheap seats and $450 per game for the middle tier.
The increases rocket Miami's season-ticket prices past those of big European clubs. Arsenal fans, for instance, will pay between $62 and $122 per game to watch all 19 home games of the 2023-24 Premier League season.
To make matters worse for fans, Miami's stadium doesn't offer much entertainment or concessions. Miami's DRV PNK stadium is a stop-gap solution while the club builds a new facility for 2025, and it compares poorly to other MLS venues in important areas such as parking and security.
MLS, long viewed as America's "alternative" sports league, has prided itself on value and accessibility since its founding in 1996. It has always been a league that is affordable for fans, and that spirit has helped clubs build loyal followings, Miami's price hikes, while understandable, could alienate its core fan base and distance the club from the community that helped bring it to life.
While price jumps are impossible to avoid altogether — if Miami didn't make these increases, scalpers would've done so instead — the lack of protection for existing season-ticket holders is a problem. This pricing strategy may bring wealthy people and famous faces to the DRV PNK Stadium in 2024, but it could come at a steep cost to the club.
When Miami comes back down to earth after Messi-mania, those new, wealthy fans may not return. Unfairly priced out of the club they love, longtime Miami fans may not either.
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