More than 11 million fans have flocked to Major League Soccer (MLS) games this season, the league said Monday, breaking the previous record of 10.9 million fans who attended games in 2024.
In a statement, MLS said that the league has averaged 23,240 fans per game, breaking the 11 million-fan barrier for the first time in history.
MLS said the arrival of international stars such as Lionel Messi — whose presence in the league has often prompted teams to switch fixtures to bigger stadiums — had helped boost attendance.
“The arrival of international stars and the work from clubs to create more unique fan-friendly ticket packages and game day experiences are among the key drivers of the continued surge of record-breaking attendance across MLS”, the league announced.
The record-breaking tally comes with the regular season still to be completed. Sixteen more matches are due to take place before the season wraps up on 19 October.
The attendance numbers mark the third consecutive year that MLS has drawn more than 10 million fans.
