Sporting KC Tickets For MLS Cup Are Most Expensive Cup Tickets In Last Five Years
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It’s been 13 years since Kansas City’s last major sporting championship, when the Kansas City Wizards won the MLS Cup in 2000. Prior to that, the last Kansas City championship was 1985, when the Royals beat the Cardinals in the ‘Show-Me’ Series. For the Chiefs, it’s been 43 years and when they last one the Super Bowl it was only five years old. All to say, it’s been a significant drought in the City of Fountains. With the Chiefs at 9-2 and Sporting KC heading to their first MLS Cup since 2004, 2013 holds significant promise. If Sporting KC can win the their second MLS Cup next Saturday, it would be their first since they became Sporting KC, and their first title in Sporting Park. The fact that the 2013 MLS Cup is being played in Sporting Park has made this years MLS Cup tickets on the secondary market more expensive than they’ve been in at least five years.
In the week after they clinched their MLS Cup birth, Sporting KC tickets increased 33% to an average of $365 based on the secondary market data we track at TiqIQ. Since then, prices have softened and now sit at an average of $302. Since moving into their new stadium in 2011, Sporting KC fans have turned out in big numbers and now have a consecutive sellout streak that sits at 35 games. It’s been a remarkable turnaround in attendance. In the five years prior to opening Sporting Park and the name change, the Wizards consistently drew at or near the bottom of the league. The low point was in 2005 when they were the only team to draw less than 10,000 fans per game. Over the last three years, Sporting Park has been filled to capacity, and then some, for every game. This year, fans have set attendance records in three games, starting with the MLS All Star Game. Next up was an August 3rd game against the Red Bull, and most recently, they reached fire-code capacity of 21,650 for the Eastern Conference Finals against the Houston Dynamo.
At $302, MLS Cup tickets are more expensive than any sporting event in Kansas City over the last four years, with the exception of the 2012 MLB All Star game, which had an average price close to $500. Chiefs tickets have not gotten higher than $257, which they did this year for a September 15th game against the Cowboys. . KU basketball tickets do routinely list for an average price above $300, but because quantity available is often so low, it’s hard to count them. At $302, the average price is 352% higher than Sporting’s home season average of $67, and the MLS’ decision to let Kansas City host the Cup this year now seems almost fated. If Sporting can win, it will be the second consecutive year that the host team wins in their own stadium. Last years’ Cup was essentially a home game for the Galaxy and 30,150 fans paid an average price of $236 to see David Bekham’s final MLS game, which was a win against the same Dynamo team that Sporting beat in the Eastern Finals this year.
Chief’s fans recently set the new Guinness record for the loudest fans ever, reaching 137.5 decibels in a game against the Raiders. In doing so, they eclipsed the previous record of 136.6 decibels set by Seahawks fans earlier this year. Unfortunately for Kansas City, that’s the only sports-related title they currently hold. If all goes well on Saturday night, though, they’ll have another title to boast, and a Cup to go along with it.