The college football national championship game in Miami on Monday is shattering records for ticket prices as the underdog locals from the University of Miami face off against Indiana University with President Donald Trump expected to be among the nearly 65,000 in attendance.
The average ticket was going for $4,000 as of Thursday, nearly 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 high as $30,000, with premium parking spots costing up to $9,000 alone. 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 riveting story lines like Indiana’s Heisman trophy-winning quarterback, Fernando Mendoza, returning home to play in South Florida, where his Cuban heritage has been engaging new audiences.
The eye watering prices for the college sports final are on par with 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 planned on the team’s home turf at the Hard Rock Stadium.
“Tickets are impossible to get,” 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 name it, but this has probably been the ticket I’ve seen most in demand.”
The bank has several suites and a number of tickets, and Gonzalez has been fielding non-stop calls from clients hoping to score a spot. He estimated they’ve been able to accommodate one client per every 20 requests he’s gotten.
“I’ve stopped returning text messages and phone calls,” Gonzalez said in an interview.
Local fans without connections are facing sky-rocketing costs. The cheapest tickets at the top of the upper deck are going for around $3,000.
The hype around the event also highlights Miami’s growing role as a global hub for major sports and entertainment where locals and visitors alike are willing to fork over small fortunes 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 scored 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 made the final, resale prices began to soar.
“I didn’t even conceive of us moving up like we did, and five seconds after we were in, it got to three-x, 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 who are lucky enough to have tickets still have to confront parking, which was selling on resale sites for close to $400 for the cheapest on-site spaces. There’s very limited public transit to the stadium, which lies about 15 miles north of downtown Miami, meaning expensive taxis, traffic and long walks are the only way to avoid the costly parking lot.
Stephen Ross, the owner of the Hard Rock Stadium and the Miami Dolphins, downplayed 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 other people don’t have, it costs money,” he said.
