All-Star Game: A Commercial Format for the Future?

Roger Hampel

Image: Arsenal

As the 2025 MLS All-Star Game kicks off in Austin, the event once again underscores its evolution into a powerful commercial and cultural platform. What began in 1996 as a straightforward East vs. West showcase has matured into a cross-border, multi-day entertainment strategy that blends football with festival culture, brand activations, and influencer engagement. The 2025 edition, pitting Major League Soccer’s finest against Liga MX All-Stars, continues this trend with strategic precision.

A Platform Beyond 90 Minutes All-Star Game

The MLS All-Star Week is no longer just about football—it’s a summer experience carefully crafted for multi-demographic appeal. The format, now rotating annually through U.S. host cities (Austin in 2025, Charlotte in 2026), has become a scalable model for fan engagement, sponsor exposure, and regional economic development.

“All-Star Week is positioned as a football festival,” said a league representative during the pre-event brief. The schedule includes a wide range of activations:

• Sponsor-branded Skills Challenges

• Fan Fest events

• eSports tournaments

• CSR initiatives (e.g. pitch renovations, Hometown Heroes awards)

• Limited-edition merchandise

• High-profile influencer appearances, including YouTube personality IShowSpeed, a returning figure from the 2023 edition

  

Image: MLS

Commercial Integration at Every Level

The 2025 Skills Challenge, a central component of All-Star Week, is sponsored by major U.S. brands:

• Shooting – AT&T 5G

• Touch – Old Spice

• Cross & Volley – AT&T

• Passing – Bounty

• Crossbar – GilletteLabs

These activations demonstrate how MLS has built a commercial structure around the event, offering tailored brand moments that go beyond traditional perimeter advertising. The focus on entertainment-first activations aligns well with Gen Z consumer behavior and the demands of sponsors looking for experiential ROI.

MLS x Liga MX: A Strategic Cross-Border Alliance

Since 2018, MLS and Liga MX have pursued closer cooperation under a shared strategy to integrate North American football ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The All-Star Game format—MLS vs. Liga MX—is part of a broader commercial ecosystem that includes the Leagues Cup and Campeones Cup.

Key benefits of the partnership include:

• Access to dual-market audiences, particularly Mexican-American fanbases

• Spanish-language broadcast partnerships

• Joint digital content strategies

• Sponsor synergies, with brands like Target, Coca-Cola, and Gillette leveraging their cross-market reach

  
  

This model of regional football integration is increasingly seen as a blueprint for cross-league collaboration—something rarely tested in European football.

Economic Impact: A Proven Value Proposition

The All-Star Game has demonstrated measurable local economic value. According to figures from the Washington D.C. tourism board, the 2023 edition generated over $11 million in local economic benefit. Orlando’s 2019 edition recorded more than 6,600 hotel room nights booked, underlining the event’s appeal to traveling fans and its ability to support city branding strategies.

Could European Leagues Adopt This Format?

The success of the MLS All-Star Game and its festival model raises an important question: Could a similar approach help Europe’s top leagues engage younger audiences?

According to MediaCells, just 23% of Gen Z now identify as avid sports fans, compared to 42% of millennials. Meanwhile, formats like Gerard Piqué’s Kings League—streamed live on Twitch and YouTube—are finding traction among younger viewers. Reuters reports that 85% of Kings League viewers are under 35, and 40% were not traditional football fans beforehand.

While Europe’s fixture calendar remains congested and tradition-heavy, the All-Star model—particularly one designed for mid-season activation or off-season engagement—could offer a commercially viable way to future-proof fan interest.