WASHINGTON – The FIFA World Cup’s first swing through the United States in 1994 gave birth to Major League Soccer; its 2026 return to North America will inspire the league and sport to new heights.
That was MLS Commissioner Don Garber’s message at his State of the League address at D.C. United’s Audi Field on Thursday night, delivered to an international audience of journalists gathered in the U.S. capital city for Friday’s World Cup draw at the Kennedy Center.
“The 1994 World Cup became the most attended World Cup in history, a record that still stands today,” Garber said. “It captured the imagination of our entire country, and it ignited a soccer movement across North America. And importantly, the World Cup laid the foundation for the league that we promised to FIFA we would deliver. Two years later, in 1996, Major League Soccer was born.
“Thirty years later, as we prepare to host the world again in 2026, the progress is just not clear. It's extraordinary. Soccer has arrived, and Major League Soccer is one of the drivers behind the success of the sport in our region. Today, our league is firmly established as an essential part of the sporting landscape – not just the soccer landscape – in North America.”
Banner year
With both MLS and North American soccer at large increasingly at the nexus of the global game, the Commissioner had plenty to discuss on a range of topics.
Speaking two days before what he called “an epic MLS Cup” at Chase Stadium between Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami CF and Thomas Müller’s Vancouver Whitecaps FC, Garber gave a preview of Saturday’s spectacle (2:30 pm ET | Apple TV - Free; FOX, FOX Deportes; TSN, RDS).
The broadcast will involve more than 30 cameras, a new record for the title bout, as well as live footage captured on iPhones throughout the stadium and the ‘referee cam’ used throughout Sunday Night Soccer presented by Continental Tire matches.
“Starting in 2026, we will begin a new chapter in our partnership with Apple as all of our games will move over to Apple TV,” said Garber. “We're proud to work closely with one of the most innovative and courageous technology companies in the world, an organization that puts consumers first, and this next step will significantly enhance the experience and be a value to our fans.”
Having grown to 30 clubs with the arrival of newcomers San Diego FC in the league’s 30th season, MLS is bigger than ever, and so are its audiences, both in stadiums and on Apple TV broadcasts.
“Last season, MLS ranked second globally in total attendance among top-flight leagues with more than 12 million people attending our matches,” Garber noted, “and our partnership with Apple brings MLS to a global audience with every match, on any device, broadcast in more than 100 countries, with no blackouts.
“Viewership on all of our platforms increased nearly 30 percent during the regular season and 23 percent during the recent playoffs,” he added. “Those increases in attendance and viewership are driven by the fact that now, soccer is the second-favorite sport to watch here in the United States among people under the age of 40, behind only American football. This is an incredible accomplishment.”
World's stage
It’s all light years removed from the challenging landscape that greeted the league when it launched with 10 teams three decades ago, and next summer’s World Cup – an expanded edition with 48 participating teams for the first time – figures to launch its own new era for the sport on these shores.
“When we started, there were no stadiums built for soccer in the United States,” said Garber. “Now we have 26 across the United States and Canada, with three more that are opening soon, in Miami this spring, in New York in 2027 and in Chicago in 2028. More than $11 billion has been invested in stadiums and training facilities across North America through our MLS clubs.
“The next decade will redefine what's possible for MLS and North American soccer. As the world turns towards North America, the 2026 World Cup will soon serve as rocket fuel for our entire ecosystem, and it will do so for MLS.”
New frontier
Towards that end, Garber also outlined ‘MLS 3.0,’ the recently announced strategy to power the league forward into the coming years.
In addition to those three new cutting-edge venues for Inter Miami, New York City FC and Chicago Fire FC, MLS 3.0 features “a comprehensive World Cup engagement strategy, increased investment in player development and an evolution of our roster strategy that will elevate the overall quality of play on the field,” Garber explained.
Perhaps most dramatic of all is the shift to a fall-to-spring schedule (starting in 2027) to align with FIFA’s international calendar and the rhythms of many of the planet’s elite competitions, which Garber called “one of the most significant decisions in our history.”
“This decision aligns our transfer windows with the top leagues in the world, reduces conflicts with international call-ups, elevates our playoff schedule and will unlock new commercial opportunities,” he said. “And we're not just aligning with the world's best. We aim to compete with them.
“We're in the midst of the most exciting period for the sport we ever could have imagined, at all levels.”
