Buyers came…buyers saw…and buyers logged in and deleted Ticketmaster’s allocation of NFC title game spots within minutes on Tuesday.
With that online participation – which included a queue of thousands when tickets went on sale to the general public at 10am Tuesday – the cheapest chance many fans had of getting into the NFC Championship game disappeared so quickly how she came It showed what secondary ticket market analysts have been predicting since Sunday’s game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the San Francisco 49ers: This was going to be a hot ticket.
It’s lived up to the hype so far, with the NFC title game currently standing as the most expensive conference title game in NFL history. According to industry search engine TicketIQ, the average price per ticket reached $2,468 as of Monday afternoon, with President Jesse Lawrence calling it “the most expensive conference championship game we’ve ever followed.” That early number surpassed the most recent high set between the 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams last year, which averaged $1,542 per ticket.
Secondary inventory for the game as of Tuesday was still solidly high, fluctuating in the range of 4,000 to 5,000 tickets still available. If it stays this high, it could push prices down – but as Ticketmaster’s limited general sale to the public was quickly wiped out, it’s possible stock will dry up if buyers start to lose patience and take it what is available. On Tuesday afternoon, Lawrence said the top average price is still going strong.
“From now on, the prices hold up,” said Lawrence. “The entry price has come down a bit, but overall the average is right where it was [Monday].”
Jalen Hurts and his Philadelphia Eagles are in high demand as they prepare to face the San Francisco 49ers in Sunday’s NFC Championship game. (Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
The ticket price for the game (which represents the cheapest seat in the stadium or standing room only) was nearly $700 before late Tuesday night fees.
The NFC game is not alone either. The AFC championship game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Cincinnati Bengals averaged a single ticket price of $1,218 as of Monday afternoon, according to data from TicketIQ. This was the most expensive average AFC title game price ever recorded by the outlet and the fourth highest of any conference title game. These numbers do not include reduced-capacity playoff games during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Why the top? Analysts say inflation is likely to play a role, as has everything else in sales over the past 12 months, but there has also been significant demand. StubHub’s Head of Partnerships, Adam Budelli, said the outlet has seen massive demand for divisional round tickets, anticipating demand for conference titles.
“Last weekend’s games doubled sales of [the January 2022] Division rounds on StubHub, which sets the stage for a record-breaking championship weekend in terms of ticket sales,” said Budelli. “Demand for both the AFC and NFC championships is higher at this point than last year. During [Bengals quarterback Joe] digging and [Chiefs quarterback Patrick] Mahomes is predicted to carry it out in what will surely be a memorable rematch [of last year’s AFC title game]the clash between elite defense and the passionate fan bases of the 49ers and Eagles dominates sales.”
So what does this mean for potential Super Bowl sales? It’s too early to tell as the game’s matchup is undecided. But the trend of hot division and conference championship sales could set up another massive price tag for Super Bowl tickets.
“The current [Super Bowl] The average list price is $9,527, which is extremely high even for a Super Bowl,” Lawrence said. “Prices probably won’t stay that high, but if they did, it would be the most expensive Super Bowl we’ve ever followed.”