Fans are finding frightening, four‑figure prices for tickets to the College Football Playoff National Championship game between the University of Miami and Indiana University on Monday at Hard Rock Stadium.

"When people first see it, there's a little bit of sticker shock," Rick Shefter, owner of A Great Place to Sit, said.

Prices for upper‑bowl tickets were at least $2,800 Wednesday night on Ticketmaster. Shefter said several factors are driving demand.

Live event costs keep rising

Live event prices in general are rising, Shefter said. The cost of concert, theater, and movie tickets has increased in recent years, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Also, University of Miami fans don't have to travel for the championship game. With no airfare or hotel costs, Canes fans can spend more on game tickets, Shefter said.

Indiana's massive alumni base fuels demand

Indiana University has 805,000 living alumni, according to IU's Alumni Association — roughly four times the size of UM's alumni base and nearly equal to the combined populations of Hialeah, Fort Lauderdale and Miami.

The last time the Hoosiers were this close to a football championship, people crowded Miami's Flagler Street to celebrate the Japanese surrender in World War II.

"I'm not sure there will be enough tickets anywhere," Jack Seiler, chair of the 2026 Miami Host Committee CFP National Championship, said. "I have had more calls out of Indiana from people trying to get hotel rooms, get tickets, find out restaurant recommendations. It is amazing."

"This thing is just a perfect storm as far as excitement and demand," Shefter said.

Fans caught between loyalty and budgets

Josh Olmstead grew up a Hurricanes fan in Miami but graduated from IU, where he never missed a game as a student.

"Everything just feels like, well, that's not going to happen, and that can't happen (but) it's happening," Olmstead said. "It's just unbelievable."

He has a family‑friendly budget for tickets — though someone at home is pushing the limits.

"My wife, bless her, is absolutely pushing me to up that budget," Olmstead said. "She is my biggest supporter, which I love. But I think in general, as you see with the fans that are coming into town, the idea is just being part of this experience."