World Cup ‘not a Taylor Swift concert’ says MLS chief who targets ‘front porch’ | OneFootball

June 9 (Reuters) – North America’s soccer fan base has grown 10.9% to more than 136 million people over the past five years, Nielsen said in a report released on Tuesday, highlighting growing interest ahead of the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The study, covering audience trends across the three host nations, found that Lionel Messi’s debut for Inter Miami CF in the 2023 Leagues Cup drove a 173% leap in linear viewership compared with the tournament average.

“The MLS Cup saw a 97% increase over 2024 with Inter Miami’s victory, proving that domestic soccer is reaping the benefits of increased interest as well,” Nielsen wrote.

The United States has the fourth-largest soccer fan base globally, with 62.5 million followers, according to the report.

“Nielsen’s new report illustrates the profound and measurable surge in popularity of soccer in North America, reinforcing the decision to host the FIFA World Cup 2026 across the continent,” a FIFA spokesperson said.

About 64% of respondents expect their interest in the sport to grow further, while nearly a quarter of fans have taken up soccer in the past five years, the report showed. Nearly seven in 10 said their interest had increased in the last three years as the tournament approaches.

Mexico remains the region’s strongest market, where soccer leads all sports with 63% engagement, while it ranks fourth in the United States and third in Canada.

The report said U.S. fans skew younger and more affluent, with 76% belonging to Millennial and Gen Z cohorts, and female engagement higher than in Europe.

Across North America, 72% watch via television or streamed content, while social media remains a key secondary platform.

Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber says the league is treating the 2026 FIFA World Cup not as a six-week showcase but as the launchpad for a new era, aiming to convert global attention on North American soccer into lasting growth in fans, relevance and stature.

Garber said MLS began planning for the tournament after hosting rights were awarded in 2018, using the event as fuel to expand, improve infrastructure and strengthen the league’s global profile.

“We sat back and said, this will be that North Star,” Garber told Reuters in an interview.

“What do we need to do to be a different league by the time the World Cup is on our shores?”

Since then, MLS has added seven teams and nine soccer-specific stadiums, changed roster rules to encourage investment in young players, increased attendance by 35% and launched a global media partnership with Apple.

Club valuations had also tripled since 2018 and were now collectively valued at approximately $23 billion, MLS said.

Garber said MLS did not want the World Cup to be a short-lived spectacle that faded once the tournament ended.

“We don’t want the tournament to be like a Taylor Swift concert where there’s enormous energy and then it’s a period of time until she comes back on tour,” he said. “We want this to be more like the front porch to a new house.”

He said MLS expected a post-World Cup boost in attendance, as domestic leagues in host countries have historically benefited from the event. But he added that the league would measure success more broadly through popularity, relevance, awareness, player recognition and fan engagement.

“What we’re really going to measure is, through research, are we more popular? Are we more relevant? Do more people know about MLS?” Garber said.

Garber rejected lingering criticism that MLS remains a destination for players at the end of their careers, pointing to the league’s average age of 26 and the competitiveness described by players who have joined.

He said Lionel Messi’s arrival at Inter Miami had transformed global perception of MLS, noting that the league had beaten Barcelona and Saudi suitors for the Argentine great.

“He certainly did not come here to retire,” Garber said. “The guy plays a full 90 every single game and scraps as if winning that game is as important as winning any other match he’s played in.”

Garber also said MLS would be interested in signing Mohamed Salah, who ended a nine-year run with Liverpool last month, if the opportunity arose.

“We’d love to sign him,” he said. “We’ll wait and see how any of those discussions progress.”

Garber said MLS remained pleased with Apple, despite moving away from an exclusively subscription-based approach. He said combined viewership across Apple TV, linear broadcast partners and other platforms was up 62% year on year.

He also defended the league’s planned calendar shift, saying MLS needed to better align with the global game, including transfer windows and a postseason outside the crowded U.S. sports calendar.

Garber, MLS commissioner since 1999, said he was under contract until 2027 and that the league had an active succession process.

“Commissioners are caretakers of leagues for a period of time,” he said. “At some point, I’m going to hand this off to somebody who will take it to new heights.”