MLS does not view the stateside World Cup craze as something still to come, but as momentum the league believes it has already been building for years.
With soccer’s biggest event creating massive energy across North America, MLS commissioner Don Garber said Thursday the league’s growth should not be viewed as something that started when the tournament kicked off, but as the result of years of expansion and investment since the United States, Canada and Mexico were awarded the 2026 World Cup.
“It’s really about recognizing that this momentum didn’t start with the World Cup. It started in 2018 when we got the bid.
Seven new teams, nine new stadiums,” Garber said after Fox’s Rob Stone asked how the MLS would capitalize on the energy surrounding the sport on Thursday.
Garber then turned the focus toward what comes next for MLS, making clear he views the end of the World Cup not as the finish line, but as a handoff.
“And with all of this energy, all this joy, all this excitement, we’re saying, ‘thanks world,’ when it’s all over, we’re gonna take it from here,” he continued.
As Garber noted, MLS has expanded its blueprint quickly over the last decade, going from 20 teams in 2016 to 30 teams today.
The league got a major boost when Argentinian legend Lionel Messi joined Inter Miami in 2023, giving MLS its biggest global star during the run-up to this year’s World Cup.
Thanks, in part, to Team USA’s strong run into the Round of 16, the World Cup has been a major hit in the states.
The USMNT’s 2-0 win Wednesday at Levi’s Stadium drew historic ratings, averaging 24.429 million viewers and peaking at nearly 32 million, Fox Sports PR announced Thursday.
The Americans take on Belgium in the next round in Seattle on Monday.
