Lionel Messi kicks off a critical season for Major League Soccer (MLS) this weekend as the rapidly growing United States domestic league seeks to cash in on a huge spike in interest from the upcoming World Cup.
Messi – MLS’s undisputed flagship star – will lace up his boots for a fourth year with Inter Miami, who take on South Korean ace Son Heung-min’s Los Angeles FC in Saturday’s opener at the 70,000-capacity Memorial Coliseum.
It is a suitably splashy start for a season that will be split in two by the 2026 World Cup, which takes place across the United States, Canada, and Mexico this summer.
World Cup host countries typically see boosts in attendance and interest for their domestic leagues, and MLS bosses are determined to keep US eyeballs on the planet’s biggest sport long after national teams have returned home.
“This is a massive year for Major League Soccer,” said league commissioner Don Garber, describing the season as “a seminal moment for our sport.”
The MLS season will this year have a seven-week interruption for the World Cup in June and July.
Five MLS stadiums will host World Cup matches, while many more will be used as training facilities and fan zones.
Messi becomes first player to win second consecutive MLS MVP award
An increased number of MLS players are expected to play in the World Cup, including Son – and potentially Messi, though the Argentina great has not yet confirmed he will participate in a record sixth World Cup.
The league plans to use the season’s bifurcation to its advantage in order to draw in new fans.
A rumoured $15-30 million marketing spend throughout the international tournament will encourage viewers to embrace their local teams, and elevate the US domestic league’s increasingly star-studded profile.
The MLS season resumes for its second half in the rest days between the World Cup semi-finals and final. An All-Star Game will quickly follow.
“MLS will be at the center of the soccer universe during the world’s largest sporting event, and that creates an extraordinary opportunity for our league, our clubs, and our players,” Garber added.
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