Tickets to the Final Four have always been pricey, but Saturday’s March Madness matchups are tracking to be the most expensive of all time. And Monday’s championship game is even pricier.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s a very limited number of seats for each game—roughly 100 each. And the laws of supply and demand have never been more pronounced. As of Friday morning, ticket prices for Final Four games were as high as $7,700 each, according to TicketIQ, which tracks the resale market. Championship ticket prices go as high as $15,000.
Those are, of course, the high end. The “get-in” price for the semifinals (the lowest priced ticket, often in the worst location) is $808. For the finals, it starts at $602. Still, both of those get-in rates are record highs. For the Final Four, it’s 145% higher than any previous Final Four in NCAA history. For the championship game, it’s 233% above past games.
To lend some perspective, the get-in price for the 2019 Final Four was $281, which was down from 2018’s $330 minimum. A secondary market championship game ticket in 2019 would have run you $111 at minimum. 2015 was the previous high point, with a get-in rate of $181.
Houston and Baylor face off Saturday at 5:14 p.m. ET, and Gonzaga and UCLA will meet at 8:34 p.m. ET, with the winners of both games battling for the NCAA Tournament Monday, April 5, at 9:00 p.m. ET.
Ticket prices to the NCAA Women’s Tournament Final Four, which takes place today at 6:00 p.m. ET and 9:30 p.m. ET, are selling for considerably less. Ticketmaster lists resale tickets at anywhere from $45 to $270 per seat.