As we begin the New Year, let’s take a look back at 2014, a year filled with marquee sporting and entertainment events all around the world. The World Cup took place in Brazil earlier this year and served as the most expensive soccer tickets on the secondary market, according to European ticket reseller Ticketbis. Alongside the World Cup’s dominant secondary ticket performance in Brazil, the UEFA Champions League also saw big secondary ticket sales as soccer comprised 41% of Ticketbis’ total sales. Music concerts boasted impressive numbers as well, accounting for 44% of total sales for the company. Some of music’s biggest names, including One Direction, Bruno Mars, Rolling Stones, Beyoncé and Jay-Z were all in action, with U2 serving as the year’s top-priced ticket.
World Cup tickets in 2014 had an average price of $2,207 on the secondary market, marking a 292.8% jump compared to the second most expensive soccer tickets, which were for the UEFA Champions League. Over the season’s first 15 weeks of play, the average secondary price for UEFA Champions League tickets was $563. The knockout stage of the 2014-15 UEFA Champions League will be held from February to June, with the final set to kick off on June 6th at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, Germany. Sixteen teams will compete for the top honor in the Champions League during the season’s five-month playoff tenure.
With World Cup action compiling huge secondary numbers, it’s no surprise that the tournament’s success bled into the American secondary market as well. The most expensive World Cup game was the Championship match between Germany and Argentina at the Estadio do Maracana on July 13th. Tickets for the Championship match were at an average secondary price of $7,679.81 and get-in price started at $5,062. Germany would ultimately go on to defeat Argentina to win their fourth World Cup by a final score of 1-0.
Soccer attested for a big bulk of Ticketbis’ total sales in 2014, but music had an even bigger year. Dublin-based rockers U2 represented the highest demand for tickets in the music category with an average tour price of $305 on the secondary market, with the Rolling Stones serving as a close second over their 14 ON FIRE Tour with a secondary tour average of $294. Pop singer Bruno Mars also did well this year and tickets for his concert shows for 2014 Moonshine Jungle Tour averaged at $273 on the secondary market, the third highest among performers this year.
Other top-priced events that took place this year were the FIBA World Cup and the French Open at Roland Garros. Those two events alone accounted for 15% of total Ticketbis sales for 2014. The Basketball World Cup was this year’s most expensive event other than soccer and music with an average secondary price of $770. The tournament continues to grow in popularity as the world’s best basketball players meet every four years and battle for the prestigious honor of World Champion. The United States dominated this year and was hardly challenged along the way, blowing out Spain in the Championship game to win their second straight basketball World Cup and fifth overall since the tournament began in 1950.
With the calendars flipped to the New Year, 2014 marked another dominant year on both the European and American secondary ticket markets. As soccer and basketball continue to grow on the global stage with each passing season, the New Year will undoubtedly bring with it even higher secondary ticket sales in both sports. Concerts also served as a huge source of ticket revenue, with some of the world’s biggest stars taking the stage to huge secondary numbers this year.
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