Messi’s absence affects Chicago Fire ticket sales

‘Messimania’ has raised interest in Major League Soccer to levels never witnessed before. Merchandise is selling out and stadiums filled to capacity - any venue where Lionel Messi is due to play sells out well in advance. During his first season, Inter Miami’s Chase Stadium sold out for almost all of what was left of the regular season and the demand for tickets led to resale prices reaching exorbitant figures.

Messi missing in the last 11 games

Soccer fans know that Messi is in the twilight of his career and his last few seasons in the game have to be enjoyed - and a stage like Miami makes it even more attractive. However, this summer’s Copa América changed the script for that euphoria. The Argentine suffered an ankle injury in the final and has yet to return to the field of play. So far, Inter Miami have been forced to manage without him in 11 games.

Messi’s absence has had a marked effect on MLS ticket sales. Given the impossibility of seeing the Argentine star in action, the drop in attendance at Inter Miami’s games, both home and away, has been notable despite having other stars such as Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets and Luis Suárez.

The Messi mystery

A clear example of this is the Chicago Fire. The Fire billed their clash against The Herons as “the game of the summer” but now face the uncertainty of whether world champion Messi will play or not.

That has had a direct influence on ticket sales for the match. The Fire had to resort to putting their tickets on sale, with a discount of 30 dollars in all sections of Soldier Field stadium.

The Week 27 MLS regular season game between Chicago Fire and Inter Miami is scheduled for Saturday 31 August at 8:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. PT. Messi is reported to be responding well to treatment but has yet to return to full training. He has just under a fortnight to get back to match fitness and be available to face Chicago.