MLS teams are reporting strong increases in ticket sales since the start of the World Cup, with multiple teams telling Front Office Sports they have seen an increase of more than 150%.
The league debuted several initiatives during the World Cup, seeking to capitalize on the increased fan attention on soccer. MLS launched the “Thanks World, We’ll Take It From Here” ad campaign, which has been described as the largest coordinated marketing effort in league history.
Teams were also very involved, setting up local activations and hosting fan viewing events during the tournament. Red Bull New York launched a “First Match on Us” program, which offered first-time attendees two free tickets to a game of their choice. The team says the entire allotment of more than 5,000 tickets was claimed.
Early data shows the marketing strategies to have been successful, with MLS ticket sales up in several markets.
A Philadelphia Union spokesperson tells FOS that single-game ticket sales have increased by 218% since the start of the World Cup. The city, which hosted six games during the tournament, drew roughly 575,000 visitors to its Fan Fest, which was free and open for all 39 days of the tournament.
The bump in ticket sales is not exclusive to host cities, with Nashville SC seeing a 161% increase in online ticket sales since the beginning of the World Cup, according to a spokesperson. The team’s first game back Friday, which was sold out, had a 22% increase in overall merchandise sales and a 10% increase in jersey sales in the stadium.
Other teams like Charlotte FC and New England Revolution are reporting strong expected turnouts during the league’s first week back. Charlotte has sold more than double the amount of tickets for Wednesday’s match against the Atlanta United compared to the team’s most recent Wednesday night game on May 13. The Revolution are set to welcome more than 30,000 to its Saturday match against the United, which is up significantly from its seasonal average attendance of around 18,000 fans.
TV Ratings Show Little Change
Despite the change in ticket sales, ratings for Fox’s Friday primetime doubleheader did not see much of a bump from pre–World Cup viewership. Nashville and Atlanta’s game averaged 587,000 viewers, while the match between the LA Galaxy and LAFC averaged 504,000. The numbers do not include viewership data from Apple TV, which broadcasts all MLS games but does not release ratings.
Before the World Cup, Fox had only one primetime doubleheader on May 24. Inter Miami and the Union drew 578,000 viewers, while the match between LAFC and the Seattle Sounders averaged 331,000. The post–World Cup numbers, while slightly higher, do not reflect the same bump seen in ticket sales.
A potential ratings boost could come when MLS is further separated from the World Cup. Friday’s doubleheader occurred while the tournament was still ongoing, with the third-place game and final yet to be played. Additionally, none of the eight MLS players from the USMNT were in action during Friday’s set of games, along with some of the league’s biggest names in Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski.
