MLS sponsorships spike as U.S. soccer gains popularity

The rising popularity of soccer in the U.S. has buoyed sponsorships and stadium attendance at Major League Soccer 30 years after the launch of the league.

While soccer reins supreme globally, the sport is still in its early stages of fandom in the U.S., where professional football, basketball, baseball and hockey have long been the favorites among sports fans.

So far this year, MLS sponsorship revenue is up double digits compared to 2024. Last year, Michelob Ultra became the official beer sponsor of MLS, and in 2023, sportswear giant Adidas reupped its partnership with the league.

Brands are gravitating toward the fledgling league, especially as it’s enjoyed a recent surge in ticket and merch sales since global soccer superstar Lionel Messi joined MLS’s Inter Miami CF in 2023.

The approaching 2026 World Cup — which will take place next summer in the U.S., Canada and Mexico —coupled with “the sport’s rising cultural relevance” has helped fuel sponsorship growth, said Jen Cramer, executive vice president of partnership marketing at MLS.

Advertisers and marketers have been rushing to spend on live sports in the U.S. The category is the last bastion of high viewership ratings amid the shift to on-demand streaming, and consumers continue to spend on elevated experiences and team merchandise. In addition to the U.S. mainstay leagues, the ascent of women’s sports, youth sports and soccer has attracted advertisers, too.

Even in a moment of economic uncertainty when advertisers often pull back on spending, sports are expected to see little effect.

“Rather than hesitation, we’re seeing increased activity with early renewals, new brands entering the sport, and more multi-year commitments,” said Cramer. “It’s a clear sign the smart money is already moving. In this environment, brands are prioritizing opportunities that offer efficiency, relevance and cultural credibility.”

Brands from Audi to Sports Illustrated Tickets — which recently took over the naming rights of the New York Red Bulls stadium in Harrison, New Jersey — have been spending on sponsorships.

In addition to its MLS partnership, AB InBev’s Michelob Ultra also inked a deal to become the global official beer sponsor of Concacaf Champions Cup and Concacaf W Champions Cup, contests that serve as a path to the FIFA Club World Cup (a separate tournament from the famed World Cup competition).

Sports have offered Michelob Ultra a big platform to grow its brand. The beverage company had a star-studded spot during the Super Bowl this year, when CNBC reported that ads cost up to $8 million apiece.

“Michelob Ultra has been an absolute rocket ship over the last few years and today is the No. 1 fastest growing beer in the U.S.,” said Ricardo Marques, senior vice president of marketing at Michelob Ultra.

Marques noted the MLS partnership fits into the company’s strategy of big investments in “passion points, like MLS and soccer more broadly.”

Last year the New York Red Bulls inked a 13-year stadium naming rights deal with Sports Illustrated Tickets, including enhancements to the fan experience at the 20,000-capacity arena. Financial terms weren’t disclosed.

“From both venue and team standpoints, I have never seen this level of partner integration like Sports Illustrated Tickets has begun rolling out at Sports Illustrated Stadium,” said Scott Epstein, head of corporate partnerships at the Red Bulls.

For the 2026 season, Sports Illustrated Tickets will also become the official ticketing partner for all events held at the stadium.

Meanwhile, when Adidas agreed to extend its multi-year partnership with MLS in 2023, it served as the sportswear brand’s largest-ever investment in North American soccer.

The deal, which goes through 2030, is valued at $830 million, CNBC previously reported. When the contract was signed in 2017 it was valued at $700 million.

“Our relationship with MLS spans nearly three decades, and in that time we’ve seen the league evolve from a niche property into a culturally relevant force in the global football ecosystem,” said Zola Short, senior director of soccer sports marketing at Adidas North America.

Adidas has long partnered with top European soccer clubs and federations.

Short also noted how MLS fandom has changed in the U.S., saying, “It’s younger, more diverse and deeply rooted in community and culture. Fans aren’t just watching games — they’re building supporter groups, creating content and embedding clubs into their city’s identity.”

MLS Commissioner Don Garber told CNBC Sport during an interview in December that more than 12 million fans attended games in 2024.

Few singular events have been as galvanizing for U.S. soccer as when one of the greatest of all time signed with the Miami club.

When Messi joined Inter Miami in 2023, the entire league’s stats were immediately lifted. Some wondered if MLS could not only sustain the growth, but capitalize on it.

So far Messi’s halo effect hasn’t dimmed.

When Inter Miami visited the Columbus Crew and Chicago Fire — each time playing in NFL stadiums — more than 60,000 fans were in attendance for each game. The match-ups made for attendance milestones for both the Crew and Fire, who’ve been playing since the late 1990s in the MLS.

To be fair, attendance at MLS games without Messi has risen, too, such as that for an Atlanta United-CF Montreal game earlier this season, which notched more than 65,000 fans in attendance.

Social media has also been a big marker of growth for the league. Prior to Messi playing in the MLS, the league had 1 million followers on Meta’s Instagram. That’s since increased to more than 17 million.

MLS says 60% of its fanbase is made up of Gen Z or millennials. More than 35% is Hispanic. Both populations are attractive demographics for advertisers and marketers as growing spending bases.

Still, it’s been difficult to measure the MLS TV audience. MLS games are offered exclusively on Apple TV’s MLS Season Pass, which doesn’t disclose viewership metrics.

However, Garber told CNBC Sport last year there are “more subscribers than we and Apple thought we would have.”

The lack of MLS viewership transparency, plus the fact that there are far fewer ad breaks during soccer matches versus other sports, contributes to what appears to be lower consumer engagement when compared to other live games, according to EDO, an advertising data firm.

Live sports in general are still advantageous, though: Men’s soccer has been a reliable driver of ad engagement, with 14% more ad effectiveness overall than the primetime average, according to EDO. Ad effectiveness is measured by the likelihood that people will search for products and offerings they saw during the commercial breaks of soccer matches, making those slots more valuable to advertisers.

This is why sponsorships, especially those that come with team jersey patches or and in-stadium campaigns, have translated into the biggest dollars for the sport.

The 2026 World Cup is more than a year away but is considered a key moment for MLS to capitalize on soccer fandom in the U.S.

“It’s no secret that we’re in a golden era of soccer here in the U.S. as we play host to multiple international events,” said Michelob Ultra’s Marques.

Last year, the Copa America tournament, hosted by the U.S., saw its final game between Argentina and Colombia average more than 6 million viewers in the U.S., marking the second-most watched non-World Cup soccer telecast in Fox Sports history.

In June, the FIFA Club World Cup, which pits teams from leagues all over the world against each other, including the MLS, will kick off in Miami.

But it’s the upcoming North America-hosted 2026 World Cup — in which national teams compete — that is expected to be the highlight and a major driver of U.S. fandom.

“The last time the U.S. hosted the tournament in 1994, it sparked the creation of MLS and led to a more than 30% surge in soccer interest in this country,” said Cramer of the MLS. “As MLS continues to evolve, more brands are recognizing that the league offers more than just visibility. It provides a direct connection to a dynamic fan base and an opportunity to build lasting cultural relevance in a sport that is helping shape the future of sports marketing.”