The Messi effect: Inter Miami vs Los Angeles FC could be the most expensive MLS match

The upcoming match between Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami and Los Angeles FC is said to be the most expensive Major League Soccer (MLS) game ever. The tickets for the game are selling for an average of $690 (Dh2,534), according to TickPick, an online marketplace.

The match will be played on September 4 at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, US. Ticket prices start at $675 (Dh2,479), and the premium segment begins at $2010 (Dh7,382) on TickPick, taking the average price to $690 (Dh2,534). This comes after Argentine superstar Lionel Messi joined Inter Miami in July.

According to a CNN report, the average ticket prices of the Inter Miami vs Los Angeles FC game have increased by 527% after Messi joined the league. Earlier, the average cost of watching an MLS game used to be $110 (Dh404).

As per TickPick co-CEO Brett Goldberg, ticket prices for the MLS matches could rise further due to “heightened demand”.

Goldberg told the CNN that the market “is likely to stabilise prices at their current level, although there’s potential for an upward shift in price due to the heightened demand.”

Highlighting the increase in demand, Goldberg said that LAF (Los Angeles FC) is one of the most popular MLS teams and “in this case, you have one of the biggest athletes in the world coming to town”.

A soccer fan named Jordan Ekeroth, 32, was among those who got lucky by selling the Inter Miami and Los Angeles FC tickets. Ekeroth listed his two tickets for the match on Ticketmaster for $650 (Dh2,387) each and got the price he had asked for, reported the Los Angeles Times.

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