Super Bowl ticket prices show small rebound but could dip again
Super Bowl tickets appear to have found a temporary basement this weekend.
After watching prices slide significantly on the secondary market following the conference championship games, the “get-in” price for the cheapest Super Bowl LIII tickets hit its lowest point Saturday, slightly less than $2,400 (without fees) on StubHub. Since then, availability has tightened and tickets have rebounded into the $2,500-$2,700 range through various online brokers.
“The [cheapest] ones will climb a little more, get steadier sales at $2,800 and maybe hit as much as $3,000 as inventory drops and people start filling orders with whatever is available,” one ticket broker said. “That will probably be the peak [for “get-in” seats].”
And the next valley?
“There will be some dumping before kickoff on Sunday,” the broker said. “Most people don’t have the balls to gamble on waiting to the last second, but there are always blowouts at the last second. But a fan has to ask: Do I want the relief of having my tickets now so I can enjoy my weekend, or am I OK hunting for a deal right up through Sunday? If you’ve got the stomach for it, you can walk up to the stadium and see what is there [from brokers] or find something getting blown out online at the last minute. That’s a risk, though.”
As always, the prices will be driven by availability and whether there is an unexpected influx of fans arriving Friday and Saturday in Atlanta. Brokers appear to have been correct in assessing this Super Bowl as a mild seller. Heading into the conference title games, brokers were hoping for a meeting between the New Orleans Saints and Kansas City Chiefs – a matchup that likely would have brought a strong traveling contingent to Atlanta.
Instead, brokers have been dealing with a Patriots fan base that has seen its team in four of the past five Super Bowls and a whopping nine of the last 17. New England’s opponent – the Los Angeles Rams – hasn’t provided the thirsty fan base brokers were looking for, either. It’s a great television matchup but a less than enticing game for brokers. And there is a lingering chance of an even softer market in the next few days, too. So much so that one broker gave some heaping skepticism over any suggestion of a $2,800 to $3,000 “get-in” price.
“He hopes [for that price],” the broker texted. “He must want that to happen. … More tickets [from NFL players] come out Wednesday and Thursday.”
This time last year, the cheapest seats on StubHub without fees was in the $2,500 range. That price rebounded above $3,000 per ticket until the morning of Super Bowl Sunday, at which point seats cratered to $1,000-$2,000 per ticket leading up to kickoff.
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