Super Bowl tickets: How Eagles and Patriots fans can buy them

Now that the Eagles have defeated the Minnesota Vikings to earn a face-off against the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl, the first thing on the mind of every Birds fan is: How do I purchase Super Bowl tickets?

This short answer is that it's not going to be easy, or cheap.

The face value of tickets for Super Bowl LII in Minneapolis on Feb. 4 will set back fans anywhere from $950 in the nosebleed section to $5,000 for club seats. And that's before any transaction fees or secondary-market bump-ups, which Yahoo Sports' Charles Robinson predicts could yield ticket costs as high as six times their printed price — or more.

Eagles season-ticket holders will know whether they have a chance to purchase seats hours after the game, based on a lottery the team will conduct, according to a representative at the team's ticket office. The NFL distributes 35 percent of the available Super Bowl tickets to the NFC and AFC champions, with each team getting 17.5 percent. It's unclear exactly how many Super Bowl tickets will be available for season-ticket holders to purchase, but it's likely all of them will be in the $950 range, according to the Eagles' ticket office.

It's nearly impossible for non-season-ticket holders to purchase tickets at face value. Due to the high demand, there isn't a direct way for fans to purchase tickets for the Super Bowl. For years, the NFL had its own lottery system that gave fans a shot at purchasing tickets at face value, but the league discontinued that practice last year.

The league also has a lottery for fans with disabilities, but entering that required sending a written request by certified mail to the league last year.

(If you have a disability and would like to put yourself in the running for tickets — one wheelchair and one companion seat — to Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta in 2019, you can send your request for the two tickets, along with your name and address, by certified mail from Feb. 1 through Sept. 1 to: Super Bowl ADA Random Drawing, 345 Park Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10154.)

The only other avenue is the secondary market, where it's practically guaranteed you'll be shelling out four figures to get your hands on a Super Bowl ticket. As of early Sunday evening, the cheapest ticket on StubHub went for $4,650. On Ticketmaster, it was $4,806.

The Eagles are partnering with PrimeSport, a hospitality business, to offer fans a way to purchase verified tickets and travel packages. Unfortunately, the least expensive ticket available through PrimeSports on Monday morning was $4,897, on par with what other secondary markets are charging.

Flights between Philadelphia and Minneapolis in early February typically range from $200 to $300 round-trip, but prices are likely to surge in the coming days, so it's best to get your ticket as early as possible.

According to CBS4 Minnesota, the average cost of a room in downtown Minneapolis near U.S. Bank Stadium is five to 10 times higher than the normal rate for early February. Many hotels, like the historic St. Paul Hotel, booked up almost immediately after the NFL announced Minneapolis would be hosting the Super Bowl.

According to Kayak, there are still rooms available in and around downtown Minneapolis for as little as $149 a night, but those prices are sure to increase now that fans know which teams will face off in the Super Bowl.

If you can't afford the high cost of attending the Super Bowl, the game will air on NBC10 on Feb. 4, starting at 6:30 p.m. The announcers for NBC will be play-by-play man Al Michaels (who is planning on coming to Philadelphia to watch the parade if the Eagles win) and analyst Cris Collinsworth. Michele Tafoya will be the sideline reporter, and she's already well-acquainted with many of the Eagles' players (though Fletcher Cox is her favorite).