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Charlotte FC sells 8,000 tickets in one day with news of Messi to Miami

CHARLOTTE — A dose of Messi Mania might help Charlotte FC fill bank of America Stadium for the Major League Soccer team’s home finale on Oct. 21. On Wednesday, as news spread of Lionel Messi’s move to MLS club Inter Miami this summer, fans began snapping up tickets to Inter Miami games.

A Charlotte FC spokesman told CBJ the team decided to put upper level tickets on sale immediately without notice and promptly sold 600 seats. For most home games, only the lower bowl — with capacity for 35,000 people — is used.

There are exceptions: For Charlotte FC’s home opener this season, more than 69,000 fans attended as BofA’s full capacity of 75,000 was available.

As of 4 p.m. on Wednesday, the team had sold 8,000 tickets for the Inter Miami match. According to resale company Vivid Seats, average prices for the Inter Miami-Charlotte FC match increased by 75% over the past four days, going from $128 to $224 each.

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