MLS 2025 Regular Season Reports Record Growth Across Viewership, Attendance, and Digital Engagement.

Roger Hampel

Image: Inter Miami

Major League Soccer’s 30th regular season concluded with record growth across all key indicators, including viewership, attendance, and digital engagement, underscoring the league’s expanding influence in North America and abroad. According to official data, MLS viewership increased 29% year-over-year, while total attendance surpassed 11 million fans for the second consecutive season.

Expanding Audiences Across Platforms

For 2025, MLS reported an average of 3.7 million live match viewers per week across both streaming and linear platforms. The figure represents a 29% increase compared to 2024, reflecting the league’s growing international visibility and adoption of a unified broadcast model that delivers every match through a single, globally accessible system.

For the first time, MLS released comprehensive, multi-platform viewership data, integrating numbers from Apple TV’s MLS Season Pass, FOX Sports, TSN, RDS, Comcast, DIRECTV, Amazon Prime Video, TikTok, EA FC Mobile, and other international partners. The approach provided a fuller view of how fans consume live football content across streaming and digital channels.

Attendance and Matchday Demand

MLS reported continued strength in stadium attendance and ticketing revenues, with 11.2 million fans attending matches during the regular season — the second-highest total in league history. Average attendance reached 21,988 per match, while 19 clubs averaged over 20,000 fans per game, more than any other professional football league worldwide.

Over the last three seasons, MLS has averaged 11.2 million fans per year and 22,443 per match, highlighting consistent fan demand. Total league attendance has grown 12% since 2022, supported by expansion clubs, new venues, and the continued draw of global stars.

Image: MLS

Digital and Social Growth

MLS also reported record-breaking performance across social and digital channels. The league and its clubs generated 13.7 billion impressions across official accounts — a 17% increase year-over-year — marking the highest engagement total in MLS history.

The league’s combined social following across Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, and X grew 10% year-over-year to more than 109 million followers, making MLS the fastest-growing major North American sports league in digital engagement metrics.

Global Player Impact and Commercial Reach

Star players continued to influence MLS’s international visibility. Lionel Messi (Inter Miami CF) led league jersey sales for the third straight season, followed by Son Heung-Min (LAFC), whose arrival in August drove a 16% increase in LAFC away-match attendance and a spike in global engagement.

Son and fellow European import Thomas Müller generated a combined +182% lift in impressions and +193% lift in engagements across MLS and club platforms.

In merchandise sales, Son ranked as the second all-time top-selling player in MLS history behind Messi, underscoring the league’s growing global consumer base.

Outlook Ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup

As North America prepares to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup, MLS enters a pivotal stage of growth. The league’s rising attendance, cross-platform viewership, and global player signings demonstrate its position as a leading sports property in the U.S. market and a growing component of world football.

The Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs began on October 22, with the championship final — MLS Cup presented by Audi — set for December 6, 2025, broadcast globally through MLS Season Pass, FOX (U.S.), and TSN/RDS (Canada).