The NFL's conference championship games will be played this Sunday, and the tickets are flying off the shelves at a historically high rate. Ticket sales for the NFC title game could reach record highs, and sales for the AFC Championship are way up compared to last year.
On the NFC side of things, two of the NFL's most recognizable brands will go head-to-head when the Detroit Lions travel out west to take on the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. In the AFC, a pair of MVP quarterbacks will battle it out with Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs playing Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium.
According to StubHub, the the NFC Championship Game is pacing to be the best-selling playoff game in the history of the site. The current best-selling playoff game is the 2020 NFC Championship Game between the Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers.
As you might expect, a majority of buyers for the NFC Championship are from California, coming in at 55%. However, there are plenty of fans in Michigan who have purchased tickets, making up 15% of the buyers. In fact, the Lions have been involved in the best-selling Divisional and Championship games this postseason.
While the NFC Championship Game is setting records, tickets to the AFC Championship Game are also flying off the shelves. StubHub reports that this year's matchup between the Chiefs and Ravens has generated a 129% increase in sales, and the number of tickets sold is up by 85% when compared to last season's clash between the Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals.
The record-setting numbers for that NFC Championship makes sense when you consider that both fan bases are hungry for a Super Bowl. The 49ers haven't won it all since Super Bowl XXIX in 1994, and the Lions have never hoisted the Lombardi Trophy. Their last league championship came in 1957, long before the AFL-NFL merger.
It should be a Sunday full of excellent football, but bank accounts will be a lot lighter for those who choose to watch from the stands.
