49ers-Eagles NFC Championship ticket prices break NFL records

The next “49ers Invasion” has been placed on hold for at least another two weeks, as prices for tickets to the NFC Championship game break the NFL record set by the Niners last year.

Following embarrassing attempts by the Seattle Seahawks and the Los Angeles Rams to keep San Francisco 49ers fans out of their respective stadiums on game day, the Philadelphia Eagles appear to have solved the NFL’s “49ers Invasion” problem: Don’t sell your tickets; Go to the game.

Eagles fans’ insistence on attending today’s NFC Championship game limited the number of tickets for sale and thus will limit the amount of red-and-gold in the stadium. A byproduct of the extreme demand for tickets to the highly-anticipated game is extremely expensive tickets:

In fact, “extremely” could be considered an understatement, as the average purchase price for a ticket to today’s game exceeds $1,100. Although some could consider the thousand-dollar price tag an appropriate amount to pay for the opportunity to witness the splendor of Niners quarterback Brock Purdy in person, the excessive cost has led to breaking stories in the Bay Area media and an acknowledgment within San Francisco’s fan base that red will not be the dominant color in the stands this afternoon.

49ers-Eagles vs. Bengals-Chiefs

Although prices are likely to drop in the final hours before the game begins, at the time of this writing–less than eight hours prior to kickoff–the minimum price after fees to enter the stadium is roughly $1,050. When compared to the current cheapest ticket to the Super Bowl–less than $5,000–the thought of sharing an afternoon with a stadium full of Eagles fans becomes even less appealing.

Read More: How to watch 49ers vs. Eagles in NFC Championship

Perhaps just as shocking as the excessive cost required to watch today’s 49ers-Eagles matchup in person is the meager price fans have to pay for a ticket to the AFC Championship game: Two hundred-dollar bills will get you into the stadium, one more will score you decent tickets in the lower bowl, and with a fourth, you can watch the game from the 50-yard line.

Surprising? Absolutely. A coincidence? Perhaps.

Or maybe the Super Bowl is arriving two weeks early.