That didn’t take long: Panthers playoff tickets snapped up in about 3 minutes

It didn’t take long for Carolina Panthers fans to snap up tickets for the team’s first playoff game next month.

About 6,000 to 7,000 tickets went on sale to the general public at 6 p.m. Tuesday through Ticketmaster, and in about three minutes, they were sold out, said Phil Youtsey, the Panthers’ executive director of ticketing and sponsorship.

“We are very thankful for the great support from Panthers fans we have had this year and throughout our franchise history,” Youtsey said.

The rest of the tickets for the game had already been nabbed by season ticket holders.

Thanks to their 14-0 record, the Panthers have a bye in the first round of the playoffs. Their first postseason game – in the NFL’s divisional round – will be Jan. 16 or 17 against an opponent still to be determined at Bank of America Stadium.

Ticketmaster sold the tickets at its locations in the Carolinas, by phone and online. Sales during the first hour were restricted to residents of North Carolina and South Carolina, according to a notice on the website.

The price range for tickets was $58 to $160, with a few club-level tickets available for between $270 and $450.

If the Panthers win in the divisional round, their next game would be the NFC Championship game, the last step before the Super Bowl. If that game is at home, the same number of tickets will be sold again to the general public.

This story was originally published December 22, 2015 at 6:35 PM with the headline "That didn’t take long: Panthers playoff tickets snapped up in about 3 minutes."