Most expensive sporting event ever? How Knicks' NBA Finals ticket prices compare to Super Bowl, others

Madison Square Garden was already set to be the center of the sports world in the NBA Finals. With the New York Knicks taking two giant steps toward a championship in San Antonio, the anticipation is even greater than some expected.

Tickets for the Knicks' NBA Finals home games have surged to prices beyond comprehension, with many resale tickets comfortably in the five-figure range for Game 3 and even higher for Game 4 with fans anticipating a potential sweep.

As prices rise, are NBA Finals tickets in New York some of the most expensive in sports history?

Here's a look at NBA Finals ticket prices at Madison Square Garden and how they compare to the priciest ever.

MORE: Most expensive and cheapest tickets for NBA Finals Game 3

How much do NBA Finals tickets cost?

As of Sunday afternoon, the cheapest resale ticket available for Game 3 of the NBA Finals was just under $7,000. The most expensive tickets available were north of $75,000, with one ticket even on sale for $97,514.

Of course, that doesn't mean tickets listed for more than $75,000 will actually be sold at that price. Prices can change if demand isn't met. What's clear, though, is resale tickets for NBA Finals games at Madison Square Garden aren't going for anything less than the high four figures.

With a sweep still possible after two games, the potential clincher in Game 4 is even pricier. The cheapest tickets available on the resale market are more than $13,000, with dozens of tickets listed at $100,000 or higher. A Knicks loss in Game 3 could bring prices down, as Game 4 wouldn't be a potential clinching game, but don't expect to find a bargain regardless. 

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How 2026 NBA Finals tickets compare to other sporting events

While the average ticket prices for Game 3 and Game 4 at Madison Square Garden aren't clear yet, the median resale price for Game 3 as of Sunday is more than $17,000, according to Yahoo Sports, with a get-in price of about $7,000.

That's pricier than most sporting events, with the 2025 Wimbledon Final between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner the only recent major event that exceeds the NBA Finals games at MSG. 

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Average 2026 Stanley Cup Final ticket price 

Stanley Cup Final tickets aren't quite at the level of NBA Finals tickets, but they are rising as well. The get-in price is more than $600 for each game between the Carolina Hurricanes and Vegas Golden Knights, according to Yahoo Sports, with the average resale ticket for Game 1 in Raleigh sitting all the way at $2,300.

Average 2026 Champions League Final ticket price

The average ticket price for the Champions League Final between Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain in 2026 paled in comparison to the NBA Finals, as the average price was $348, according to SeatPick. More than 61,000 attended the match in Budapest, which is a good ways away from both clubs' homes. 

Average 2026 Final Four ticket price

Tickets for the 2026 Men's Final Four averaged $1,055 on the resale market, according to SeatGeek. Demand reportedly dropped after Duke was eliminated by UConn in the final game of the Elite Eight, but an influx of Illinois and Michigan fans drove up demand in Indianapolis. That pushed the average price past $1,000 despite the games being played in an NFL stadium with a capacity of more than 72,000.

Average 2026 Super Bowl ticket price

The Super Bowl is typically the priciest sporting event on the American calendar, but with an average price of $7,722 to watch the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots in 2026, it's still more affordable than the price of the average NBA Finals ticket at MSG. 

With that being said, Levi's Stadium welcomed more than 70,000 fans to Super Bowl 60 while MSG has a capacity of less than 20,000 for basketball games. 50,000 more seats would dramatically change the price range for NBA Finals tickets, even if they would still be high. 

Average 2025 World Series ticket price

The average World Series ticket price for Game 7 between the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers in 2025 was $2,524, according to The Athletic. While the average price for Game 6 was under $2,000, demand was understandably higher for the classic game that saw the Blue Jays' championship hopes slip away. It still doesn't come close to the demand for Game 3 or Game 4 of the 2026 NBA Finals. 

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Average 2025 Wimbledon Final ticket price

Wimbledon Centre Court holds less than 15,000 fans and is often a celebrity haven during the men's singles final, so the 2025 average price, when converted from Euros, actually beat the NBA Finals. Fans paid an average of about $20,297 to watch Carlos Alcaraz face Jannik Sinner, according to Yahoo Sports, with limited resale tickets ranging from about $19,000 on the low end to more than $22,000 on the high end.

Average 2025 U.S. Open (golf) ticket price

U.S. Open tickets at Oakmont Country Club averaged $529 in 2025, according to SeatGeek data, in an increase from 2024. Oakmont reportedly allowed about 30,000 fans per day, more than an NBA or NHL arena but less than what an MLB or NFL stadium can hold.

Average 2022 World Cup Final ticket price

While FIFA separates tickets by four categories, the average price between those categories for the 2022 World Cup Final in Lusail, Qatar, was $855. That figure is expected to be considerably higher in the United States in 2026, but given the capacity of MetLife Stadium, it will have a very hard time reaching the prices of NBA Finals tickets in New York.