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The mainstream limelight may not be on soccer quite as much as it was last year, but the sport is nonetheless having a historic season in the U.S. with plenty of new records being set.
Over the weekend, Major League Soccer surpassed 11 million in 2024 attendance, reaching that figure for the first time in league history, and doing so with 16 matches and nearly two weeks left in the regular season. The figure beat last year’s league record of 10.9 million.
Inter Miami forward and international superstar Lionel Messi remains a major attraction, including an April 13 match at Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium, home of the NFL’s Chiefs, that drew 72,610, the largest individual attendance figure for the league this season. But now in his second MLS season, every game involving Messi is no longer a national curiosity. Additionally, MLS attendance figures also owe to other factors, including growth in season-ticket sales across the league, more consistent scheduling, and local strength in numerous individual club markets.
Further attendance growth is expected next year when the league’s 30th team, San Diego FC, begins play.
The Women’s Surge
The National Women’s Soccer League, meanwhile, has more than ably followed up on a banner 2023 season that included record attendance, the establishment of two expansion franchises, and record-setting TV contracts. This year, the NWSL has already surpassed 1.5 million in attendance—surging past last season’s 1.37 million—and expects to reach two million by the end of the regular season. Both the expansion Bay FC and the revived Utah Royals began play this year, with the former currently in line for a playoff spot.
Furthering trends from earlier this season, the NWSL is also enjoying the fruits of an expanded schedule and more games played in larger, MLS-sized facilities. The league additionally set a single-game league record in June with a game at Chicago’s Wrigley Field, home of MLB’s Cubs, that drew more than 35,000.
While a rising tide lifts all boats, the NWSL’s achievements this year nonetheless arrive as the WNBA has hit an entirely different inflection point with the transformative arrival of heralded rookie star Caitlin Clark.
Rising Tide
The robust soccer numbers also highlight the growth of the sport in the U.S. as a series of major international events are due to hit the country in the next several years, including the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, 2026 FIFA World Cup, and 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
In years past, the survival of both MLS and the NWSL were in question at various points as both attendance and revenue numbers were shaky in many markets. Those rocky periods are increasingly a distant memory now.
“When I started this journey many years ago, I never thought the league would be where it is today,” MLS commissioner Don Garber said earlier this year, upon hitting the 25th anniversary of his tenure. “It speaks to the resilience of the sport in our country.”
