Web Desk
Chinese football fans will have to pay a substantial amount, up to $680, to watch Lionel Messi lead Argentina against Australia in a friendly match in Beijing, according to organizers.
The match, scheduled for June 15 at the 68,000-capacity Workers’ Stadium, is a rematch of their encounter in the last 16 of the Qatar World Cup. Messi, expected to leave Paris Saint-Germain this summer, scored in Argentina’s 2-1 victory, and they eventually won the World Cup.
Tickets for the match will be sold in two batches on June 5 and 8, with prices ranging from 580 yuan ($82) to 4,800 yuan. Some disgruntled fans expressed their discontent online, criticizing the high prices for an exhibition game. Stricter measures are being implemented to prevent ticket scalping, requiring spectators to provide identification information and present ID cards or passports for entry.
However, despite the measures, some merchants on China’s Taobao shopping platform were already offering ticket booking services, with one seller charging 18,000 yuan for what they claimed were VIP seats. International sports events are slowly returning to China after the easing of strict virus restrictions by Beijing late last year. This match will mark Messi’s first visit to China since 2017.
