FIFA’s 2026 World Cup exceeded expectations off the field and gave many Americans the soccer bug for the first time. 

The surge in interest provides Major League Soccer (MLS) with a rare opportunity to elevate itself into a tier-one sports league. However, converting World Cup fans into ongoing supporters of the domestic game will require the league to address three critical challenges limiting its growth: extreme paywalled media distribution, fragmented U.S. soccer fan interest, and a dearth of star power. 

Underlying each of those issues is a broader marketing problem. MLS needs to do a better job promoting itself and making casual sports fans understand what makes the league special—and why they should care about its players and product.

MLS’ pivot to a summer-to-spring calendar in February 2027 will give it a fresh start. But a new schedule alone is not going to change the league’s trajectory.

Only a leader capable of reimagining how MLS is packaged, promoted and sold can. That is what makes the choice of MLS’ next commissioner —reportedly either Larry Berg or David Nathanson— so consequential.

The right candidate becomes apparent once you understand the nature of the job ahead.

Soccer has been a tier-one sport in America for a decade. What makes it unique, however, is that fan and sponsor interest is fragmented across multiple leagues (including Liga MX —the country’s most-watched league— the English Premier League and MLS).

MLS, by contrast, is a tier-two property that enjoys low-end tier-one economics (see: $250mm/year media rights deal with Apple, San Diego FC’s $500mm expansion fee, 9.2x value-to-revenue multiple). It lacks the visibility and awareness among the general public that more successful leagues enjoy. 

Some of that is a byproduct of MLS’ TV rights deal. Casual viewers do not discover Apple-exclusive game broadcasts when flipping through the channel lineup.

Another factor is brand marketing. The NFL ran a commercial during Sunday’s World Cup Final. The league presumably saw value in taking advantage of the mass-reach platform to promote itself. MLS did not. 

And the lack of star power beyond Messi is problematic too. U.S. sports fans only watch top pro leagues. 

To MLS’ credit, the league has worked and continues to work to develop young talent. Its calendar shift is also expected to allow clubs to participate more actively in major global transfer windows and sign higher-caliber players.

But simply having access to top talent won’t elevate the league’s standing. Clubs must spend more to sign better players if MLS is going to capture the imagination of general-market sports fans (see: increase in the salary cap/floor). 

So, the league is going to need an influx of working capital. Having a commissioner capable of not just structuring a league-level credit facility and evaluating the rate of return but putting the capital to work operationally would seem valuable.

But that isn’t the only skill set the position requires. The league’s next leader must also be a marketer and politician. 

MLS’ most avid fans, a small but vocal group, will need to be convinced that changes are necessary if the league is going to reach its potential; the messaging and in-stadium environments are far too polarizing to appeal to the average sports fan. 

Remember, tier-one properties get much of their lift from casual viewers. That circulation is what makes the sport relevant amongst the broader market.

FWIW, this can be done (see: NASCAR). 

MLS’ broadcast deal with Apple expires following the 2028-2029 season. Fixing that own goal and greatly increasing live event reach across broadcast, cable TV, and streaming (see: tri-cast strategy) seems obvious, so long as a savvy media mind is in charge. When bundled with other sports on full-reach platforms, distribution partners can create situations that cooperatively build multiple properties (see: Fox using the World Cup as a lead-in for the MLB All-Star Game).

It should be noted that MLS does have an expanded package of 34 matches with Fox/FS1 and Fox Deportes. However, that only represents 6-7% of all MLS tilts. The balance of league inventory (470 matches) is exclusive to Apple TV.

Consolidating soccer’s fragmented audience in the U.S. won’t be as easy. Hardcore European league fans are not going to take MLS’ efforts seriously in the short term. 

The opportunity is to convert Latino Americans, who remain loyal to Liga MX because of their deep familial and cultural ties, into also being MLS fans. Because it’s not an either-or scenario (see: World Cup ratings for USMNT and El Tri). Fans can support teams in both leagues.

But doing so will require MLS and its new commissioner to think bigger than the Leagues Cup. 

Start by upping the stakes. Stage a North American championship game between the champions of the two leagues.

A scheduling alliance that has teams across leagues playing regular-season games against one another would help to increase familiarity with players and clubs, and even an eventual merger should not be dismissed.

Remember, the best Mexican players, like the best Americans, go to play in Europe. In theory, collectively growing the revenue pie would allow both leagues to improve the quality of play and keep more talent at home. 

In the short term, MLS must work to make its games more visible and build stars.

The league is never going to be the sport of the future, and it must recognize that. However, MLS has the potential to capture the hearts and minds of the general-market and grow into a legitimate tier-one property—if its owners get this decision right.

If they make the wrong hire, the league will squander its post-World Cup moment and leave itself increasingly vulnerable to Liga MX or one of the European leagues putting a team in the U.S., potentially costing it market share.

The league’s future is at stake.

In the latest episode, The Sports Advisors talk premium sponsorship inventory. Monster Energy recently became the entitlement partner for the Big 12 football and men’s/women’s basketball regular seasons, a deal that includes a cobranded patch on all team uniforms, fields/courts, digital and social channels.

Within 24 hours, Kansas announced a five-year jersey patch deal with Ripple/XRP across all Kansas Athletics uniforms. We discuss whether the Big 12 and KU properly priced their new sponsorship inventory, why the value of a partnership extends beyond the rights fee, what the deals signal for the broader college market, and how technology could transform premium assets into personalized, dynamic inventory.

📺 Watch the full video on JohnWallStreet’s YouTube page. 
🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

We’ll be back with the next episode of JohnWallStreet Presents: Big Business on Campus on July 30. DePaul University Senior Vice President and Director of Athletics DeWayne Peevy will be our guest.