Major League Soccer is officially back, and if the opening weekend was any indication, the “Messi effect” has evolved into a full-blown continental obsession. The marquee matchup featured the defending champions, Inter Miami, traveling to face LAFC in a clash that felt more like a cup final than a season opener.
A staggering crowd of over 75,000 fans packed the stands, setting a new high-water mark for a Matchday 1 attendance. While the atmosphere was electric, it fell just short of the all-time MLS record, that honor still belongs to the 2023 “El Tráfico” at the Rose Bowl, where 82,110 supporters witnessed the LA Galaxy take on LAFC on the Fourth of July. Still, the message was sent: soccer in North America has reached a point of no return.
MLS Opening Weekend Hits Historic Participation Highs
The “MLS is Back” slogan wasn’t just marketing fluff this year; it was a statistical reality. The league saw a record-breaking 387,271 fans attend matches across Saturday and Sunday, marking the highest-attended weekend in the history of the competition.
With an average of 25,818 fans per game, the league enjoyed a 5% bump over the 2025 opening weekend and a massive 17% increase compared to last year’s overall regular-season average.
The crown jewel of the weekend was undoubtedly the 75,673 fans who crammed into the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for the LAFC vs. Inter Miami CF showdown. Not only did this set a new opening weekend record for the league, but it also stood as the most-attended professional soccer match on the planet over the weekend.
As the global sporting community turns its focus toward North America for the 2026 World Cup, these numbers prove that the domestic league isn’t just a “retirement home” anymore-it’s a premier destination capable of commanding a world-class spotlight.
A World Cup Sabbatical and a Historic Calendar Shift
The 2026 season is going to look a lot different than anything we’ve seen before. To accommodate the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be hosted across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, the MLS has baked in a massive six-week hiatus. From late May through mid-July, the league will go quiet to allow fans and players alike to focus on the biggest tournament in sports.
It’s a necessary break, but it also serves as the final “curtain call” for the traditional spring-to-autumn format that has defined the league since its inception in 1996.
Starting with the 2027-28 campaign, the MLS will finally fall in line with the European giants. The transition to a summer-to-spring schedule is a seismic move for the league, designed to align transfer windows and international breaks with the rest of the footballing world.
This year is essentially the bridge to a new era; the league is capitalizing on the World Cup fever to remodel its entire identity. By the time the final whistle blows on this 2026 season, the MLS will look, feel, and schedule itself like a true global powerhouse.
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