The organizers of the friendly match between the Argentina national team and Australia in Beijing announced on Friday that tickets to see Lionel Messi in action would cost a maximum of 680 dollars. The match will take place on June 15 at the 68,000-capacity Workers’ Stadium and is a replay of the clash between the two teams at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
In that match, Messi scored a goal to help Argentina to a 2-1 victory on its way to the world title. Tickets for the friendly will go on sale in two batches on June 5 and June 8, with prices ranging from 580 yuan ($82) to 4,800 yuan ($680), organizers said.
However, several fans expressed their discontent on social networks over the high prices. Some users on the Chinese network Weibo, where the company organizing the match has an account, threatened to report the event for theft and questioned whether Messi was really worth the 4,800 yuan price tag.
This will be Messi’s first visit to China since 2017. Although Chinese authorities have taken measures to prevent the resale of tickets, some merchants on the Taobao platform are already offering ticket-buying services. One seller even went so far as to charge 18,000 yuan for what it claims to be VIP seating access.
Despite criticism of the prices, the match is expected to attract a large number of fans in China eager to see Lionel Messi in action.