The MLS wants to capitalise on the momentum generated behind soccer at the World Cup.
In terms of viewing figures, public engagement and building the sport’s brand in America, the tournament was an enormous success, even if political controversy and rampant profiteering were hallmarks of the 104-match event too.
The MLS season resumed before Spain faced Lionel Messi’s Argentina in the final, the former winning 1-0 in a showpiece whose action on the pitch will not live long in the memory.
MLS are riding the crest of the World Cup wave. The ‘Thanks World, We’ll Take it From Here’ ad campaign is the centrepiece, featuring Messi, David Beckham, Son Heung-Min, Magic Johnson, Matthew McConaughey and Kevin Durant among others.
Messi, incidentally, will not return in time for the MLS All-Star Game tomorrow, though he won’t face any reprisals from MLS chiefs as he did last season.
In the background, the MLS is electing a new commissioner, with Don Garber leaving the post after 27 years. He has been the transformative figure in the history of soccer in the U.S., bringing Messi to Inter Miami, securing a historic TV and streaming deal and delivering record attendances.
He even thinks MLS can topple the Premier League as soccer’s most commercially lucrative league.
But after the World Cup illustrated that the sport has the power to reach an even wider audience in America, what about increasing the size of the league again?
Garber says MLS will likely stop at 32 teams
For the MLS, the biggest single windfall on offer is adding an expansion franchise, exceeding even the revenue locked in from TV and streaming deals.
But speaking on Fox News at the weekend, Garber has revealed his cautious stance on expanding beyond the current 30 teams.
“For a lot of different reasons – schedule makeup and the like – I don’t see us going beyond 32, and I’m not sure 32 is coming anytime soon. It’s about making what we have bigger, better, stronger and capturing this cultural moment.”
San Diego FC were the last team to join the MLS’s ranks. A group led by Egyptian-British billionaire Mohamed Mansour paid $500m for the team in 2023.
Prior to that, St Louis City joined in 2023 and Charlotte FC a year earlier.
The consensus among industry experts is that the average value of an MLS franchise at present exceeds $750m.
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