Prices for tickets on the secondary market for the upcoming Super Bowl in New Orleans are considerably lower compared to last year’s event, although they remain high by historical measures.
As of Tuesday, the average ticket price for the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles was reported at $6,552 on TickPick. If this figure remains steady, it would secure the position of the third highest average ticket price for a Super Bowl on that platform.
In contrast, the average price for last year’s game, which featured the Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers, was $9,136. The only Super Bowl to reach a higher average price occurred four years ago, with tickets averaging $7,046 for the event where the Chiefs faced the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which had a limited audience of 25,000 due to COVID-19 restrictions.
The minimum ticket price for this year’s game is slightly under $4,000 and has seen a decline of about 30% since the matchup was officially announced. Gametime reported a similar trend, noting that last year’s game had a lowest price point of $8,764 just before kickoff.
According to Gametime, this year’s adjustments in ticket pricing are likely a result of a natural correction in the market following the excitement of last year’s game. They also pointed out that there hasn’t been significant “pent-up” demand from either fan base, contributing to the current ticket prices appearing more favorable.
Other ticket platforms like Vivid Seats and StubHub are also showing minimum prices below the $4,000 mark.
Brett Goldberg, co-CEO of TickPick, provided several insights as to why ticket prices are significantly lower compared to last year. The previous Super Bowl took place in Las Vegas, which generated heightened interest among fans. The easy access to Allegiant Stadium from the eighth-busiest airport in the U.S. and the nearby Las Vegas Strip, known for its large hotels and entertainment venues, helped to inflate last year’s prices to record levels.
Conversely, the availability of hotel accommodations in New Orleans is more limited, with around 26,000 rooms in the city center, making it challenging for fans to find suitable lodging. “Trying to book a hotel right now is very difficult,” Goldberg noted.
The matchup between the teams also plays a role in the pricing dynamics. This marks the third Super Bowl appearance for the Chiefs consecutively and the Eagles’ second in three years. Goldberg suggested that a different outcome, such as a win by the Bills, could have resulted in varying fan interest and ticket sales.
“There’s a segment of the Chiefs’ fan base that can afford to attend three Super Bowls, but that group is quite small,” he explained. He also mentioned that even Eagles fans are expressing a sense of fatigue from their recent Super Bowl experience. Many fans are relaying sentiments like, “I went two years ago. I’m not sure I can make it work again.” The financial burden of a $10,000 trip for two can be a considerable deterrent.
Goldberg indicated there hasn’t been any notable feedback suggesting that the New Year’s Day tragedy, where a motorist killed 14 individuals on Bourbon Street, had a substantial impact on ticket price declines.
This Super Bowl in New Orleans will mark the city’s 11th hosting of the event and its first in 12 years. However, this familiarity could contribute to a decreasing sense of excitement in the future, a sentiment that could also be echoed as Las Vegas hosts more Super Bowls. “Once it becomes a recurring event, the novelty of the stadium may wear off,” Goldberg stated. “The third time around might not have the same allure.”
