LAFC Becomes First $1B MLS Club

Major League Soccer’s reigning champion has helped the league reach a major milestone as it continues to grow its presence.

Los Angeles FC has been valued at $1 billion in Forbes’ latest valuation of MLS clubs — making it the first franchise in league history to reach the billion-dollar plateau.

LAFC has sold out every regular-season and playoff match since bursting onto the MLS scene in 2018 — one of the factors in its estimated $8 million operating profit from a league-high $116 million in revenue last season.

The club is set to add to those profits when BMO takes over stadium naming rights on a 10-year, $100 million deal.

Since 2019 — the last time that Forbes created this list — average MLS team valuations rose 85% from $313 million to $579 million. Besides LAFC, three teams are worth $800 million or more.

• LA Galaxy — $925M
• Atlanta United FC — $850M
• New York City FC — $800M

Of the league’s 10 oldest franchises, only three — LA Galaxy (second), D.C. United (fifth), and Sporting Kansas City (12th) — crack the top half of the list.

Teams

| by Abigail Gentrup

LAFC Wants More Money, Fewer Owners

LAFC reportedly had around 30 investors at the beginning of 2022.

January 12, 2023

Going Up-Stream

MLS is set to embark on a grand experiment this year when Apple TV+ takes over the league’s media rights in the first season of a historic 10-year, $2.5 billion deal.

The tech giant will charge $99 per season — or $79 for existing Apple TV+ subscribers — for MLS Season Pass, which will feature every match of the season with no blackouts.