It costs big bucks to get into the biggest games, and there were plenty of must-see showdowns across the U.S. and around the world in 2024.
Still, one event rose above the rest when it came to the most coveted ticket of the year -- and it wasn't the Super Bowl.
Here's a breakdown of the biggest global sporting events of 2024, according to StubHub's "2024 Year In Live Experiences" report.
StubHub's top in-demand global sporting events for 2024
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The 2024 World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees was the most in-demand sporting event of the year, per StubHub.
The cheapest seats in L.A. and New York throughout the series soared above $1,000, leading fans of both teams to take extreme measures to get a spot in the bleachers. With superstars Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, Mookie Betts and Juan Soto in the spotlight, the five-game Fall Classic outsold the five-game NBA Finals by almost 500%.
No. 2 on the list was the thrilling Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers. Super Bowl LVIII was StubHub's best-selling single-day sporting event of the year, outselling Super Bowl LVII between the Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles a year earlier by 76%.
Here are the top 10 sporting events from across the globe in 2024, based on cumulative, global ticket sales on StubHub North America and viagogo international marketplaces:
- World Series: Dodgers vs. Yankees* (Los Angeles and New York)
- Super Bowl LVIII: Chiefs vs. 49ers (Las Vegas)
- Euro 2024 semifinals and final (Dortmund, Munich and Berlin)
- Copa America semifinals and finals (Charlotte, North Carolina, East Rutherford, New Jersey, and Miami)
- NBA Finals: Celtics vs. Mavericks (Boston and Dallas)*
- College Football Playoff National Championship: Michigan vs. Washington (Houston)
- NCAA Men’s Final Four semifinals and championship (Phoenix)
- College Football Playoff -- Rose Bowl: Michigan vs. Alabama (Pasadena, California)
- NFC Championship Game: Lions vs. 49ers (Santa Clara, California)
- F1 Canadian Grand Prix (Montreal)
*Includes all five games of series
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StubHub also noted significant growth for the WNBA this year. The league saw a total ticket sales increase of nearly 1000% compared to 2023, including a 9000% rise in total sales for the Indiana Fever in Caitlin Clark's rookie season.
While it was a record-setting year for ticket sales in sports, the success of 2024 goes well beyond the field, court and diamond.
"What’s incredible about 2024 is the huge influence live events had on global tourism -- international travel to live events increased by 62% this year with vacations centered around seeing Taylor Swift, Coldplay, Ohtani in the World Series and Copa America," Cris Miller, chief business officer of StubHub, said. "Concert sales broke 2023 records on StubHub while sports like cricket, soccer, and the NFL saw significant growth among international fans."
