The club announced earlier this month that MLS had broken its regular season presence history for 2024. With more than 11.4 million viewers, MLS surpassed the 10.9 million indicate set in 2023.
Lionel Messi’s appearance at Inter Miami CF halfway through the previous year, in July 2023, is credited with increasing that trend. On April 13, 2024, Sporting Kansas City drew 72, 610 enthusiasts, the fourth-largest group in Soccer story, to Arrowhead Stadium, where it lost to Messi’s visiting club. In front of 65, 612 viewers later that month, the New England Revolution hosted Inter Miami at Gillette Stadium, which was more than twice the New England Revolution’s regular season home base. Those were two of the highest-attended games of the year, and both numbers were membership data.
A closer look at the information, however, reveals Messi to be only partially accountable for the larger pattern. MLS ‘ regular attendance of 23, 222 per game this year was truly a history, but the 22, 691 normal when you exclude Inter Miami road games would still have surpassed the all-time high of 22, 111 by a substantial margin. It also represents a 4 % increase over previous season’s 21, 799 common with the same isolation. Through October 8, 17 of the league’s 29 leagues had drawn at least 1 % more fans per game in 2024 than 2023, while only five had reduces of more than 1 %.
It’s difficult to quantify how much Messi’s influence on MLS acceptance is generally. For example, the Vancouver Whitecaps had a year-over-year presence boost of more than 50 %, which led the club, due to a boost in winter ticket purchases. After never hosting Miami in 2023, the team did in May 2024, which could have drummed up curiosity. Therefore, when Messi ended up missing the activity in Vancouver, the Whitecaps offered followers a comparable potential solution as a comfort.
Some clubs made lucrative deals available to fans to capitalise on Inter Miami’s arrival.
Numerous other factors, but, at least significantly contributed to the team’s attendance achievement. In a June 24 statement on the attendance increase, MLS wrote that “driving forces include: consistency in scheduling ( Saturday nights ), ]and ] growing season ticket bases (up 15 % )”.
Starting in 2023 with its new Apple TV deal, the group committed to playing most activities on Sundays, with ordinary night game on Wednesday, and a dusting of games on Sundays. The consistency of the plan may help fans better organize their visits to the facility in addition to making Saturday a popular day for in-person audiences.
Soccer is even gaining more and more attention in the United States. The state hosted Copa América over the summer, both the men’s and women’s national team made at least the semifinals at the 2024 Games ( with the people winning silver ) and the NWSL is gaining in popularity.
Messi, though, is definitely driving a banner time for MLS, despite missing several times of the time due to injury. Inter Miami’s star-studded lineup also won 22 activities this season, more than any other team, and is the favorite to win the MLS Cup. The group has just one chance of achieving this.