Fans are paying $30,000 a seat for the Miami-Indiana championship game
The college football national championship game in Miami on Monday is breaking ticket price records as the underdog locals from the University of Miami take on Indiana University, with President Donald Trump expected to be among the nearly 65,000 in attendance.
The average ticket was priced at $4,000 as of Thursday, almost double the comparable price for last year’s final, according to Victory Live, which analyzes sales across major secondary marketplaces. On resale sites, tickets are being listed for as much as $30,000, and premium parking spots alone cost up to $9,000. Earlier this week, playoffpremium.com was marketing midfield suites with 18 tickets for $1.2 million.
The frenzy is being driven by a large local alumni base and compelling storylines such as Indiana’s Heisman trophy-winning quarterback, Fernando Mendoza, returning home to play in South Florida, where his Cuban heritage has been attracting new audiences.
The eye-watering prices for the college sports final are comparable to the Super Bowl or a late-stage World Cup game. UM, which was the lowest-ranked team to enter the playoffs, made it to the final against the odds. The game had coincidentally been scheduled on the team’s home turf at the Hard Rock Stadium.
“Tickets are impossible to obtain,” said Jorge Gonzalez, the CEO and vice chairman of City National Bank of Florida, UM’s official bank. “We’ve hosted Super Bowls, Formula 1, you know it all, but this has probably been the most in-demand ticket I’ve seen.”
The bank has several suites and a number of tickets, and Gonzalez has been receiving non-stop calls from clients hoping to secure a spot. He estimated they’ve been able to accommodate one client for every 20 requests he’s received.
“I’ve stopped responding to text messages and phone calls,” Gonzalez said in an interview.
Local fans without connections are facing soaring costs. The cheapest tickets at the top of the upper deck are going for around $3,000.
The hype around the event also emphasizes Miami’s growing role as a global hub for major sports and entertainment, where both locals and visitors are willing to pay a fortune for live events. The Hard Rock Stadium alone is home to an F1 race, the Miami Open tennis tournament, Miami Dolphins home games, and countless concerts. It will also host seven World Cup games this summer.
Carlos Del Portal couldn’t believe it when he obtained two tickets to Monday’s game via UM’s allotment for season-ticket holders four days before the Hurricanes advanced to the final.
Once UM reached the final, resale prices started to skyrocket.
“I didn’t even imagine us advancing like we did, and five seconds after we were in, it tripled, and it kept going,” said Del Portal, who lives in Jupiter, Florida.
With resale prices so high, Del Portal is willing to sell but only at the right price. He won’t say what his tickets cost, but he’s hoping to sell for seven times what he paid based on current market prices. (One season-ticket-holder who preferred not to give his name secured tickets on the stadium’s first level from UM for $850.)
Those fortunate enough to have tickets still have to deal with parking, which was selling on resale sites for nearly $400 for the cheapest on-site spaces. There’s very limited public transit to the stadium, which is located about 15 miles north of downtown Miami, meaning expensive taxis, traffic, and long walks are the only ways to avoid the costly parking lot.
Stephen Ross, the owner of the Hard Rock Stadium and the Miami Dolphins, downplayed the parking and traffic challenges at the venue in an interview with Bloomberg News on Wednesday, highlighting premium access lanes for those willing to pay.
“With everything in life, if you want something that others don’t have, it costs money,” he said.