Lionel Messi’s jump to Inter Miami drives ticket sales for Oct. 4 match vs. the Chicago Fire — and you’ll have to pay a steep price

The news of Lionel Messi joining Major League Soccer made headlines across the globe — and the ripple effect hit Chicago.

The international soccer superstar announced Wednesday that he will join Inter Miami after spending two years with Paris Saint-Germain. And Messi potentially facing the Chicago Fire this fall at Soldier Field nearly doubled ticket sales in a matter of hours.

The Fire had sold nearly 10,000 tickets before the news for the Wednesday, Oct. 4, night match against Miami. After Messi’s announcement that he would be joining former international star David Beckham’s club, the Fire had sold more than 7,000 tickets as of Wednesday afternoon, a team spokesman said, and he expected that number to surpass 10,000 by the end of the day.

With nearly four months before the matchup against a player regarded as one of the greatest scorers of all time, the Fire could surpass the franchise attendance record of 54,432, set July 16, 2005, against the Columbus Crew at Soldier Field.

Tickets remain available and more could open up — but you’ll have to pay a steep price.

As of Wednesday evening, the cheapest seat available on Ticketmaster via the Fire website was $250. The Fire typically open seats only in the 100 and 200 levels at Soldier Field but could make available seats in the upper levels — which might be cheaper. The spokesman said the team’s ticket department will monitor sales before deciding whether to open more seating.

Average attendance this season is 13,632, has jumped to 18,287 since May 1 and is trending higher for upcoming matches with the weather warming, the team said.

Paris Saint-Germain’s Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring a goal against Lille on Feb. 19, 2023, at the Parc des Princes Stadium in Paris. (Christophe Ena/AP)

Messi, 35, is a seven-time Ballon d’Or winner — the trophy given annually to the world’s best player. Before leaving for Paris Saint-Germain in 2021, he had spent his entire professional career with FC Barcelona. He is Argentina’s all-time leading goal scorer and led the national team to the World Cup title in December.

Messi has more than 800 goals in his career for club and country, making him one of the greatest scorers in the sport’s history. In more than 17 years of representing Argentina on the international stage, he has scored 102 goals against 38 national team opponents — 16 coming on U.S. soil.

He scored twice in last year’s World Cup final against France, a match that ended 3-3 with Argentina prevailing in penalty kicks.

Associated Press contributed.