Caitlin Clark, Fever coming to Phoenix. Here’s what it will cost to attend game

Anticipation is building for when Caitlin Clark plays her first game in Phoenix as the demand drives up ticket prices.

Sunday’s matchup between the Phoenix Mercury and Indiana Fever is expected to draw large crowds at Footprint Center. It likely will have the priciest entry out of all the Mercury’s regular season games at Footprint Center.

The Mercury (8-8 as of June 21) will tip off at noon on Sunday, June 30, against Clark and the Fever (7-11 as of June 21). It will be the only time Clark plays the Mercury in Phoenix this season. The Mercury will travel to Indiana for a July 12 rematch.

Venues across the WNBA have drawn record crowds due to Clark’s popularity, including on Friday when the Fever’s game at the Atlanta Dream drew 17,575 fans —the largest attendance in the history of the 16-year-old franchise. 

For months, the Mercury have opened the upper level to tickets for the Fever game to deal with the increased demand for tickets. The level typically isn’t open during other regular season games.

Tickets were sold out in the lower level until last week when select seats became available. However, the cheapest seat is $167 before fees on Ticketmaster and two tickets would cost $334 before fees. The lowest get-in price would be $55 before fees and is a single ticket in the upper level. Secondary markets like StubHub have upper level seats going for $83 and higher, but SeatGeek had a pair going for $76 each in the upper level.

It differs starkly from the June 28 home game against the Los Angeles Sparks. The Sparks (4-13) have been without star rookie Cameron Brink since she tore her ACL on June 18, which has impacted interest. The cheapest get-in price on Ticketmaster for two is $30 each before fees in the lower level, which would cost $167 each for the Fever game.

The most expensive ticket for the Sparks is courtside for $1,500 before fees. Sunday’s most expensive ticket is courtside for $5,000.

The Mercury capitalized off the excitement surrounding Clark before she was even drafted to the Fever.

The GOAT vs. the Rook: What did Diana Taurasi say about Caitlin Clark and was it really controversial?

One day after Clark and Iowa lost in the national championship 87-75 to South Carolina, the Mercury officially released single-game tickets against the Fever on June 30 at noon. Indiana had the top pick in the WNBA draft.

At that time, only a few select games were available for single-game tickets, including preseason and opening night.

The graphic made by the Mercury indicated that the game would be a rivalry between Mercury star Diana Taurasi and Clark, titling it “The GOAT” (greatest of all time) vs. The Rook.

Taurasi previously warned Clark that “reality is coming” while she was leading ESPN’s alternate broadcast of the Women’s NCAA Tournament Final Four with former WNBA star Sue Bird.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Caitlin Clark is coming to Phoenix this week; what it will cost you