The NFL is welcoming fans back into their stadium, after many did not allow anyone in and others had limited capacity fora year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Football games are not known to be cheap and now with fans even more eager to get back after the hiatus.
CBS Sports spoke to StubHub regarding the ticket trends this year.
According to StubHub, the Las Vegas Raiders are the most in demand team. While this may seem random, because the Raiders went 8-8 last year, this is the first time fans will be allowed in Allegiant Stadium since the team moved from Oakland, so fans are looking to check out their new home.
“Many industries this year have experienced increased prices given pent-up demand, and tickets to live events follow this trend, with average ticket prices higher than 2019,” said Akshay Khanna, general manager of StubHub North America. “However, as we’ve seen in other leagues, prices tend to level out as the season goes on, and this has already started to happen as we get closer to the official kickoff to NFL football.”
As far as the top-selling NFL game, that honor went to the Ravens-Raiders matchup from Sept. 13. This Monday night game kicked off the season for both teams and was held at Allegiant Stadium.
“There are a couple of factors contributing to the Raiders being at the top of the list for demand. First off, this is the first time people can watch in-person games at the new Allegiant Stadium. And second, the largest number of ticket purchases are from legacy Raider fans in California making the trip to see their team play in Vegas,”said Akshay Khanna, general manager of StubHub North America.
The second most in demand game is a more obvious one: Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. New England Patriots. This is Tom Brady’s return to Foxboro, MA since leaving the team and will be a must-watch game.
The defending champion Buccaneers and Patriots are the second and third in demand teams, respectively. There’s a pattern here, as the Bucs are seeing the biggest jump in ticket sales compared to after the 2019 schedule release at 536% increase and the Pats up 553% compared to after the 2020 schedule release.
Here’s a look at the top 10 in demand teams:
- Las Vegas Raiders
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- New England Patriots
- Los Angeles Chargers
- Dallas Cowboys
- Los Angeles Rams
- San Francisco 49ers
- Buffalo Bills
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Kansas City Chiefs
Top 10 In Demand NFL Games
Currently, these matchups are the top-selling 2021 NFL games on StubHub:
- Baltimore Ravens at Las Vegas Raiders on 9/13
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New England Patriots on 10/3
- Dallas Cowboys at Tampa Bay Buccaneers on 9/9
- Pittsburgh Steelers at Buffalo Bills on 9/12
- Dallas Cowboys at Los Angeles Chargers on 9/19
- Chicago Bears at Los Angeles Rams on 9/12
- Philadelphia Eagles at Las Vegas Raiders on 10/24
- Green Bay Packers at San Francisco 49ers on 9/26
- Las Vegas Raiders at Dallas Cowboys on 11/25
- Chicago Bears at Las Vegas Raiders on 10/10
