It's crazy! A single ticket for the game on May 11th against Lionel Messi at the Stade Saputo costs more than a season subscription.
“The club prefers higher profits instead of taking care of its fans,” complains Jonah Presser, head of communications and media relations at the 1642MTL group.
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If the situation is troubling, it needs to be mitigated. In fact, only a few hundred tickets remain available for those still hoping to see the famous Argentine soccer player in action with Inter Miami CF in Montreal on May 11th. And depending on the supply and demand model, these tickets will inevitably be sold or resold at a premium.
The advance sale of individual CF Montréal tickets is officially announced for this Friday from 10 a.m. However, it is important to understand that the Montreal club has already made a lot of efforts to make the most of Messi's arrival.
A record number of season tickets
Beyond the last tickets available, CF Montreal will have mainly benefited from the situation, increasing the number of season ticket holders to 15,000, compared to less than 10,000 last year.
Ironically, consumers who prefer to wait for individual tickets to go on sale risk paying a price similar to or even higher than a season ticket for the single game on May 11th.
A computer leak in an application suggested that individual tickets for the famous game against Miami could be sold starting at $449 instead of the usual price of around $30. The price of the cheapest season ticket for the 2024 season, including the famous game on May 11, was $444.
- Listen to the interview Jonah Presser, communications director of the partisan group 1642MTL with Mario Dumont on QUB:
An insulting advance sale
In its sales strategy, CF Montreal, which prefers not to comment, also gave consumers the opportunity to purchase six-game packages, including the May 11 game, for… $750. It's still not cheap!
The organization has undoubtedly dropped the ball on an “exclusive pre-sale” to football associations. These partners were offered tickets for Messi's visit until last Tuesday. This made it possible to purchase one for $518 in the supporter zone and for $639 in the white category. Many will obviously have preferred to skip their turn.
These are the words of the 1642MTL group, regulars of Section 114.
“We understand that the situation is unique and that the extreme demand for tickets warrants an increase,” said Simon Carignan, coordinator of the fan group, in a press release on Wednesday morning. However, we regret that, as a gesture of goodwill, the club did not offer cheap tickets to the groups of fans who accompanied the team when the stadium was half full at times […] The club has chosen to put the dollar over loyalty, which is unfortunate.
Jonah Presser, a member of the 1642MTL group, encouraged the team with a megaphone during a CF Montreal game at Stade Saputo on September 20, 2023. “Photo courtesy of Jonah Presser/1642MTL”
“It's more disappointment than frustration,” Presser summarized during a telephone interview with Le Journal.
A transaction with Toronto
Since he is one of the 15,000 season ticket holders, Presser will still have access to the Stade Saputo on May 11th. Like other soccer fans, he can now hope that CF Montreal will use the gains made by Messi's arrival to present a competitive club for the entire season.
At this time, CF Montreal announced on Wednesday that it had received an amount of $175,000 in general allocation from Toronto FC, including $125,000 in 2025, in exchange for a foreign player spot in 2024.