As NFL schedule goes global, ticket prices – some for $1,000 – may shock American fans
Just one week after the NFL officially announced it 2024-25 schedule, fans are snapping up and paying up for secondary-market tickets to the NFL's International Series games.
The average sold price hit $1,000 this week for the Friday, Sept. 6, game between the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles game in São Paolo, Brazil, according sales data from Vivid Seats, a ticket marketplace.
That's not the only game outside the U.S. with outsized ticket prices.
Tickets for all but one of the five International Series games have averaged $590 or more on Vivid Seats. Their highest average price stateside as of May 20: $570 for October's matchup in Las Vegas between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Raiders.
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NFL tickets selling at the highest prices in the 2024 season
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The elevated prices in International Series games mirrors the spike in interest that secondary-market sellers saw for the entire slate of games just a day after the NFL schedule was released on May 22.
"Within just 24 hours of the schedule release, we've sold almost twice as many tickets as we did during the same period last year," Adam Budelli, spokesperson for StubHub, wrote in an email.
Purchases of the Texans' and Falcons' tickets soar
Both StubHub and Vivid Seats saw a surge in interest from Atlanta Falcons fans as Kirk Cousins takes over at quarterback this season. Falcons ticket sales jumped from the bottom of StubHub's sales in 2023-24 into the top four this season behind the Raiders, Cowboys and Steelers.
Another potential franchise quarterback C.J. Stroud – the 2023 offensive rookie of the year – appears to have lifted the hopes of Houston Texans fans, too. That's not surprising after he helped lead the Texans to the playoffs last season. Vivid Seats tracked a 143% jump in ticket prices for the Texans.
Teams with the biggest interest and price spikes
Chiefs still enjoying the Taylor Swift effect?
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are looking for their third consecutive Super Bowl trophy this season. Can excitement for the team be much higher than last season? What's to explain the 363% increase in views on Chiefs' page at Vivid Tickets?
Perhaps its partly because they are the reigning Super Bowl champions, and they have a rematch with the 49ers in October? The average price fans have paid for that game has already surpassed last year's Chiefs-Eagles rematch.
Most expensive Super Bowl rematches in recent years
Or perhaps Chiefs fans just enjoyed their time in Vegas during Super Bowl 58? Their game with the Raiders is among the top-selling games for both StubHub and Vivid Seats. The average sold price for the game on Vivid Seats is already $472.
But, of course, word about pop star Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's relationship didn't surface until well after the NFL schedule release last year. So maybe a few Swifties contributed to the more than 300% increased interest, too.
Swift and the Eras Tour will be back in North America during the fall of 2024, but a few Chiefs' games might be difficult to attend – unless you have a personal jet at your disposal.
How the Chiefs' schedule matches up with Taylor Swifts' Eras Tour
The Eras Tour restarts its 2024 North American leg on Oct. 18 and ends on Dec. 8. Interestingly the week previous to the tour's restart coincides with the Chiefs' bye week. How the two schedules match up between NFL Weeks 7 and 14:
◾ Oct. 20 Chiefs in San Francisco | Swift in Miami
◾ Oct. 27 Chiefs in Las Vegas | Swift in New Orleans
◾ Nov. 4 Chiefs at home | No concert
◾ Nov. 10 Chiefs at home | No concert
◾ Nov. 17 Chiefs in Buffalo | Nov. 16 Swift in Toronto
◾ Nov. 24 Chiefs in Charlotte, N.C. | Nov. 23 Swift in Toronto
◾ Nov. 29 Chiefs at home | No concert
◾ Dec. 8 Chiefs at home | Swift in Vancouver, B.C.