One of the biggest sports announcements of 2023 happened when soccer superstar Lionel Messi revealed that he was signing with Inter Miami, one of the teams in Major League Soccer (MLS).
The surprise move has already boosted interest in MLS and could greatly impact the value of the Miami based soccer club.
Here’s a look at ticket prices, sports betting and more ahead of Messi’s club debut set for Friday, July 21, 2023.
How to Watch Messi: On Friday night, Inter Miami is set to take on Cruz Azul, a team from Liga MX, a Mexican soccer league.
The game is part of the Leagues Cup, which is a knockout tournament featuring the teams from MLS and Liga MX.
Inter Miami and Cruz Azul will play at 8 p.m. ET on Friday.
To watch the game, you’ll need to have signed up for MLS Season Pass, an offering from AppleTV. Technology giant Apple Inc AAPL landed the exclusive rights to MLS games in a 10-year deal valued at a reported $2.5 billion. The contract began with the 2023 season and came at the perfect time for Apple.
Apple participated in the deal that led to Messi's transfer to the MLS. The tech giant is reportedly offering the soccer superstar a portion of the revenue from all new MLS Season Pass subscriptions sold.
MLS Season Pass comes with a cost of $14.99 per month, or $12.99 per month for existing AppleTV+ subscribers. There are also full season packages available.
The game will also be broadcast on Univision, a Spanish-language cable network that is 45% owned by Grupo Televisa TV.
Related Link: 5 Things You Might Not Know About Lionel Messi
Betting Odds: The upcoming Friday match will feature a faceoff between two of the least successful teams in the MLS and Liga MX in the Leagues Cup.
Inter Miami is ranked last in the MLS’ Eastern Conference with five wins, 3 draws, and 14 losses in 22 league matches. The team has 22 goals for and 36 goals against, ranking third last in goals scored. Inter Miami finished sixth of 14 teams in the Eastern Conference in the 2022 season.
Cruz Azul is ranked 18th in Liga MX with three losses in three matches. The team has scored one goal and allowed six goals in the three matches. Cruz Azul finished 7th in 2022 with a 7-3-7 record.
Betting odds at DraftKings Inc DKNG show Inter Miami as the favorite Friday at odds of +120. Cruz Azul is the underdog at +215. The draw option is also priced at +250.
Messi is the top-listed goalscorer option on the betting odds at -125 to score anytime. The odds for Messi scoring both the first and last goals are each set at +300, respectively.
The odds of Messi scoring a goal or providing an assist are set at -225.
DraftKings is offering a 50% Miami Messi profit boost on any bet for the match, which could take something like the Messi goal or assist to odds of -152.
Messi to score and Inter Miami to win comes with odds of +200.
Ticket Prices: Earlier in the 2023 MLS season, Inter Miami tickets were available for as low as $10. However, with Messi's arrival, the demand and prices for Inter Miami tickets have skyrocketed.
A quick look at Stubhub shows the cheapest tickets for Friday’s match listed at $169 each. SeatGeek shows the cheapest tickets for $163 each for Friday.
Sports reporter Darren Rovell said SeatGeek reported the highest price paid for tickets for the match at $3,500 each.
A report from CNN showed the highest ticket price for Messi’s debut at $110,000. Rovell called the ticket prices grossly exaggerated, with this being just the price of a ticket listed and not an actual sale.
Ticket prices for Messi’s MLS league debut (Aug. 20) against Charlotte FC have also seen strong interest from fans.
Messi could have a huge impact on attendance for Inter Miami and its opponents in the 2023 season. In 2022, Inter Miami had the lowest attendance in the league, averaging only 12,637 spectators per game, well below its 19,000-seat capacity.
Messi’s Popularity: Known worldwide as one of the greatest soccer players of all time, Messi has increased the popularity and social media following of Inter Miami.
With 479 million followers on Instagram, Messi is one of the most followed people worldwide, ranking ahead of North American sports figures like LeBron James, who has 156 million followers.
The Instagram account of Inter Miami has also seen its follower base grow and now has over 10 million, more than the Miami Heat and Miami Dolphins combined.
The Hard Rock Café in Miami has already named a chicken sandwich after Messi.
An introductory press conference with Messi on Monday drew 17,000 fans to the stadium.
One company that could benefit from demand for Messi and merchandise is MGO Global MGOL, the company that runs the Messi Store. The company reported a big increase in revenue for the first quarter, which ended on March 31, 2023.
Messi-related merchandise revenue for the company totaled $289,533, up from $99,077 year-over-year. Messi brand merchandise represented 87% of the company’s first-quarter total revenue. The company's second quarter could see an even more significant impact due to Messi's signing with the MLS.
Inter Miami co-owner Jorge Mas told CNBC that the addition of Messi could double revenue from $56 million in 2022 to $110 million in 2023, as reported by Joe Pompliano. Mas also expects Inter Miami to see its team valuation rise from $600 million to $1.5 billion, which would make it the most valuable MLS team.
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