Soccer fever grips Colorado as Rapids sell more than 60,000 tickets for Messi showdown at Mile High
Apr 16, 2026, 11:00 AM
If you were on the fence about getting tickets to Saturday’s (April 18) Colorado Rapids match at Empower Field at Mile High, you better act quick…
The Rapids have sold more than 60,000 tickets for the against Lionel Messi and Inter Miami at Mile High, putting the club within striking distance of its all-time attendance record and underscoring a soccer boom that has swept across the state in 2026.
The MLS Matchday 8 clash, which doubles as the Rapids’ 30th anniversary celebration, will kick off at 2:30 p.m. and air on Apple TV. The club moved the game from its usual home at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park — which seats roughly 18,000 — to the Denver Broncos’ stadium, which can accommodate up to 76,000.
The Rapids’ current attendance record stands at 61,213, set on July 4, 2002, against the Chicago Fire at the same venue. With ticket sales already past 60,000 and climbing, the club could shatter that 24-year-old mark Saturday.
Much of the demand traces to Messi. The Argentine superstar, widely considered the greatest player of his generation, is making his Colorado MLS debut.Inter Miami’s roster also features Uruguayan striker Luis Suárez and Argentine midfielder Rodrigo De Paul.
But the Rapids are celebrating more than star power. The franchise was one of 10 founding MLS clubs in 1996, and Saturday’s match commemorates the team’s inaugural home game at the original Mile High Stadium three decades ago. The Rapids played home matches at Mile High Stadium from 1996 to 2001 and at Empower Field from 2002 to 2006 before relocating to Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City in 2007.
Saturday’s match is the latest signal that Colorado has emerged as one of the nation’s hungriest soccer markets. Less than three weeks ago, Denver Summit FC drew 63,004 fans to Empower Field for its inaugural NWSL home game, shattering the league’s single-game attendance record by more than 20,000. The expansion club, whose minority investors include Peyton Manning and Mikaela Shiffrin, is planning to open a purpose-built 14,500-seat stadium in Denver’s Baker neighborhood by 2028.
The U.S. Women’s National Team also returns to Commerce City this week, playing Japan on Thursday at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park — the squad’s 10th appearance at the venue, where it holds an 8-0-1 record since 2008.
