Tickets for Lionel Messi’s first Inter Miami road match sell out in minutes

Lionel Messi’s tour around the United States begins on Sunday and tickets, as expected, are in extremely high demand.

In less than 30 minutes, tickets for Inter Miami’s match at FC Dallas sold out Thursday afternoon. It’s the first time that Messi, along with his former FC Barcelona teammates Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, will play a road match since joining Inter Miami.

Tickets for the Leagues Cup round of 16 match went on sale at 11 a.m. central. Twenty-two minutes later, FC Dallas posted on the X platform, formally known as Twitter, announcing that tickets were sold out.

The only way tickets can be purchased now are on the secondary market. As of Thursday afternoon, fans interested in attending the elimination match are forced to wait in a queue to view listings. The cheapest ticket is listed at $600, with the most expensive all the way up to $20,000.

A similar situation unfolded for Messi and Busquets’ first match July 21 against Cruz Azul. Inter Miami ticket sales have been above average for all of the past three matches, with A-list celebrities in attendance each night such as Kim Kardashian, LeBron James, DJ Khaled and Derek Jeter.

However, the last two matches have not been sold out.

Messi and Busquets’ second match against Atlanta United on July 25 drew 19,758 to DRV PNK Stadium. Inter Miami responded by slightly decreasing ticket prices for Wednesday night’s match, which worked, but not entirely. The attendance ticked up to 20,181 to witness Alba’s debut and two more goals from Messi, but it was still short.

Both of those matches were on weeknights, but with the Inter Miami lure still in a honeymoon, it’s a surprise.

Inter Miami is playing at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas because FC Dallas held a better Major League Soccer regular-season record in 2022. A match time has yet to be announced. If Inter Miami advances to the quarterfinals, it is guaranteed to host at home against one of the Houston Dynamo, Charlotte FC or Cruz Azul next weekend.

There is no indication if or how Inter Miami’s strategy will change if it advances because tickets for the Leagues Cup quarterfinals are not on sale. However, tickets for Inter Miami’s next known home match Aug. 20 against Charlotte can be purchased for $150, on par with Wednesday night’s prices.