How much does it cost to go to see Messi’s debut at Inter Miami?

(CNN Spanish) — Lionel Messi has announced that his football future has arrived UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. The Argentinian star looks back on two seasons at Paris Saint Germain, where, despite having recently been crowned champion of the French league, he has never felt entirely at ease. The big criticisms and even boos he received from the fans themselves didn’t help a better goodbye from there either.

For this Messi has decided to continue his career at Inter Miami, a team that plays in Major League Soccer (MLS). And, when the news broke, his Argentinian followers started looking for ticket options and package tours to Miami to go see their idol.

Inter Miami is not having its best moment. They are bottom of the league and lost their last game (1-3 against New England). However, that seems to matter little to his Argentinian fans, who do Expectations are so high for the arrival of Messi that we are already counting on going to see him on his debut.

So much so that the co-founder of the Turismocity travel agency, Julián Gurfinkiel, revealed that “the search for flights to Miami during the Thursday and Friday of the week of Messi’s announcement increased by 54% compared to the same days of the week previous “.

In any case, due to the volatility of the dollar in Argentina, the prices of that trip for those flying from there are often unaffordable. And to this we add that, in terms of travel, Miami is in high season because it coincides with the summer, when there is a strong tourist demand from the Southern Cone.

How much does it cost to fly from Argentina to see Messi

Though Messi is speculated to make his Miami debut at the end of July, neither the player nor club authorities have yet given details on when his first match will be for Inter Miami.

In this sense, the general manager of another Argentine agency, Travel Services, Pablo Aperio, explained that he is waiting for the official dates of his arrival in the MLS team to be published in order to launch more complete packages.

“However, we are already seeing marked interest in this destination and an increase in requests for flights and packages to this city across all of our service channels,” he added. The packages sold by these agencies usually offer the option of paying for both airfare and hotels in pesos from Argentina, even if they take the parallel dollar exchange rate as a reference. This is an added bonus, as access to dollars is limited for Argentine citizens.

People walk past a Lionel Messi mural in Miami, June 7, 2023. (Credit: GIORGIO VIERA/AFP via Getty Images)

Although nothing is certain about the dates, if Messi played for Inter Miami for the first time on July 21, in the second week of June the flights with a stopover for that date are around 500,000 Argentine pesos (1,028 US dollars at the exchange rate). in the parallel market). For example, on the Despegar.com travel portal page, a ticket on those dates to spend five days in the United States costs 436,526 pesos ($898) today; and on Almundo’s website, a ticket with the same features costs 446,705 pesos (US$919). The values ​​expressed correspond to the price of the parallel dollar on June 13, which is the one used for this type of transaction.

In any case, it is likely that the closer the date of the debut, the more expensive the ticket will be. Also, the fact that many users have searched for the flight at the same time can increase the value of the airfare.

“Flights to Miami with stopovers are normally from 290,000 pesos ($596), and for Messi match dates, it is estimated to be double that, close to 600,000 pesos ($1,234),” Gurfinkiel said.

How much is accommodation to see Messi

In terms of accommodation, there are several possibilities. Considering parallel dollar pricing, for a basic five-night stay for two people, prices can range approximately between US$164 (80,000 pesos) and US$617 (300,000 pesos) per night, depending on location and services offer .

For example, according to Despegar.com, a hostel located 10 kilometers from the city center costs 117,584 pesos ($241). However, a luxury hotel 4 kilometers from downtown is valued at 275,708 pesos (US$567).

In some agencies, such as travel services, they offer a combination of airfare and a three-star hotel stay at 553,625 pesos (US$1,139) per person for the suggested date.

How much do tickets for Messi’s debut cost?

Tickets are not usually included in the flight and accommodation packages offered by the airlines. And since the possible date of Messi’s first game was released, prices have skyrocketed. According to ticket sales page Vividseats, prices range from $739 for the cheapest, to $14,329 for the most exclusive. In any case, official tickets only go on sale a few days before the match, except in the case of the public who already have season tickets and these tickets can be part of the match package they have already purchased.

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