The average resale price for Super Bowl tickets has increased by more than one-fifth year-on-year ahead of this year’s edition of the NFL showpiece, according to data released to TheTicketingBusiness.com by SeatGeek.
The enticing match-up between the home-market Los Angeles Rams, which will play at the franchise’s own SoFi Stadium, and the Cincinnati Bengals, returning to the championship contest for the first time in more than 30 years, has driven demand for Super Bowl LVI this Sunday, February 13.
After last year’s event at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida was capped at 25,000 fans due to the pandemic, this year’s Super Bowl will welcome a capacity crowd of just over 70,000 spectators.
In comparison with last year’s clash, the game’s resale prices have leapt so far by more than $1,500 (£1,110/€1,312), from $7,168 to $8,698 – a 21% rise. In comparison with Super Bowl LIV in 2020, which took place before any COVID-19 restrictions on attendance, the average price this year is nearly 46% higher.
However, Chris Leyden, director of consumer strategy for SeatGeek, added that whilst current resale prices are higher on average than ever before, a complete picture will only be possible when game time approaches.
Leyden told TheTicketingBusiness.com: “We won’t know for sure until we get closer to the game, but demand is currently very high. We have one team playing in its home market and another with a fan base that hasn’t had the chance to attend a Super Bowl in over 30 years.”
Leyden explained that ticket prices seem to have dropped slightly over the last few days following the initial frenzy.
Leyden added: “We are starting to see prices drop as we get closer to the game, so it will be interesting to see where the overall price paid for a ticket ends up.”
Over the last five years, Super Bowl resale prices have almost doubled. According to SeatGeek data, the average price in 2017 was $4,853.
The largest jump in price came between 2020 and 2021, increasing from $5,974 to $7,168, although this could be partly explained by the squeeze on seats due to the capacity limit, as well as the presence of the home-market Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the game.
“There is no question that the Super Bowl has become one of the hottest tickets to get, and the demand from fans to attend the game has increased over time,” said Leyden.
“That being said, the location and teams involved are the two biggest factors in determining whether we’ll see more or less demand than usual.”
The pull of attending a major event like Super Bowl after the impact of COVID-19 on the past two years on watching live sport is also alluring, Leyden said.
He added: “I think in general people are itching to get out and experience live events again and bucket list games like the Super Bowl are no exception.
“These types of big sporting events are becoming even more popular internationally too, so I don’t see interest in attending them waning anytime soon.”
Image: AlexanderJonesi/CC BY-SA 2.0/Edited for size
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