SEATTLE -The Lionel Messi tax is real, and now fans wanting to see the Argentine star take on Liga MX club Monterrey will need to pay a whole lot more than normal. The CONCACAF Champions Cup quarterfinal rounds will feature three MLS-Liga MX ties, with Inter Miami traveling to Northeast Mexico to take on 'Rayados.'
Messi and his former Barcelona FC teammates Luis Suárez, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba are one of the reasons why Mexican fans looking to attend the game will have to pay astronomical figures for a single ticket. Inter Miami's constellation of stars is expected to push ticket prices to more than $1000, compared to average MLS and Liga MX prices.
The MLS team offers tickets for the first leg against Rayados for as cheap as $160 with the most expensive stand tickets costing a whooping $800. Although the club offers one better option for those fans looking to pay more for the experience. The Herons also count with a field-level option, a VIP seat with club access and food and beverages included, costing north of $1,100.
According to news outlet Sopitas.com, the cheapest option for fans wanting to attend the second leg of the tie in the city of Monterrey will have to pay $1000 for a general admission ticket, more than three times the average price for a Liga MX game at Estadio BBVA.
But if fans are willing to spend a fortune to watch Lionel Messi play his first competitive game in Mexico, they can do so from the best seats in the Estadio BBVA for as little -or as much- as $6,000 per ticket. Rayados' luxury suites for nine people start at one million Mexican pesos, equivalent to $59,000. With the demand for this game expected to be high, these prices could only get more expensive.
Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Ticketmaster on March 29, with Messi and company scheduled to visit Monterrey on April 10. Throughout his entire career, Messi has faced Liga MX teams in four previous occasions. In the contrary, it won't be Messi's first visit to Mexico, as the Argentine played in a friendly match organized by the Leo Messi Foundation at Mexico City's Estadio Azul in 2011.
After recruiting some of the best soccer players in the world in the last decade, Inter Miami is decided to make a statement in this year's CONCACAF Champions Cup by becoming just the second MLS team in the last 20 years to win the competition. The last 12 months has seen a huge shift in the power dynamics between Liga MX and MLS. Major League Soccer dominated the Leagues Cup last year, winning 11 of the 16 ties against Mexican teams.
In the last 10 years in the competition, there has been a total of 43 ties between teams from both countries, with Liga MX leading the way winning 30 of those (69%) while MLS has only won 13. Most of those 13 wins have come in the past four seasons, as MLS teams have advanced in eight of the 21 ties.
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