The Week 18 finale of the NFL season is a huge game where the Minnesota Vikings will travel to take on the Detroit Lions. This matchup features a pair of 14-2 teams, and it will be the most combined wins ever in a non-playoff game.
The NFC North title, NFC No. 1 seed, first-round bye, and home-field advantage are on the line in this game. The loser will be regulated to the No. 5 seed despite having 14 wins.
Playing at Ford Field is a big advantage for the Lions, as they are 6-2 at home. The Vikings are no slouch on the road, though, with a 6-1 road record. However, the Minnesota ownership group is trying to make Ford Field feel more like U.S. Bank Stadium by buying up tickets for their fans.
Vikings Owners Bought Tickets To Sell Cheaply to Fans
In a major plot twist for this Vikings and Lions game, it is being reported by Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer that Minnesota purchased nearly 1,900 tickets at Ford Field to then resell to their fans.
The tickets cost approximately $1,000 per each on the secondary ticket market, and the total cost is reportedly $2 million.
The @Vikings wanted a presence at Ford Field on Sunday night.
They went to unusual lengths (and spent nearly $2 million) to get it.https://t.co/dv9nC3PKRq
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) January 4, 2025
The tickets that the Vikings purchased were then resold to season-ticket holders for as low as $200. They made the tickets available in an email to season-ticket holders.
“As a valued season ticket member, we want to offer you the opportunity to purchase lower-level seats for Sunday night’s game,” the email stated.
These tickets are positioned near the Vikings bench. The reasoning behind this move was to allow the Vikings to have a more quiet area for communication and for more fan support.
The Vikings did release a statement for the reasoning behind this move: “Given the uniqueness of this game, we wanted to offer our stakeholders—staff, family, season ticket members and team partners—an opportunity to attend,” said team spokesman Jeff Anderson.
Lions Contacted League Office Over Ticket Purchases
The Lions were not happy to hear that part of their stadium — in arguably the biggest home game ever at Ford Field — might not be as full of their own fans.
Detroit did contact the NFL to see if this move by Minnesota was on the up and up. Per Sports Illustrated, the NFL said the Vikings did nothing wrong in buying these tickets and then reselling them to their own fans at a loss.
Having an additional 2,000 Vikings fans infiltrate the Lions’ home stadium may not make that big of a difference as Ford Field holds 65,000 people, but with the No. 1 seed on the line in this Week 18 game, it goes to show how serious the Vikings are in willing to help their team get the victory.