The “Lionel Messi effect” in the United States has been evident once again. The truth is that, despite the fact that the Major League Soccer season began just under a month ago, on February 21, it has already achieved extraordinary numbers, all thanks to the Inter Miami captain.
The truth is that no fan wants to miss the opportunity to see Leo play, especially now that he is defending the MLS title. That’s why attendance at his games is comparable to the NFL’s Super Bowl, and even exceeds it.
Messi, on par with the Super Bowl
Inter Miami played its first game against Los Angeles FC (losing 3-0) and against Orlando City (winning 2-4). Now, against D.C. United, he influenced the score and led the team to its second victory of the year, 2-1, in addition to coming within one goal of his 900th official goal (899).
Beyond his athletic performance, Messi has achieved something that few players can boast: a fan base capable of surpassing NFL numbers. In two of these three games this season, Leo has managed to draw more fans in person than last year’s Super Bowl in Santa Clara, where the New England Patriots fell to the Seattle Seahawks 13-29 and where Bad Bunny got everyone dancing during the halftime show.
The first game, against LAFC, was played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. There, 75,673 fans were in attendance to watch the start of the season. This Saturday, when Inter Miami played D.C. United at M&T Bank Stadium, they did so under the gaze of 72,026 fans in the stands, according to TUDN. Thus, both games surpassed the attendance at Super Bowl LX, which drew a crowd of 70,823.
However, if we continue with this dynamic and move on to the audience watching the game via TV and streaming, the situation is reversed: the Super Bowl accumulated more than 120 million viewers in the US alone, while an MLS game typically accumulates millions or less, not hundreds of millions. In other words, there may be more people in the stadium for certain games where Messi plays, but in terms of global audience, the Super Bowl is much bigger.
Meanwhile, Inter Miami CF qualified for the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup by winning the 2025 MLS. Now, they will face Nashville SC in the round of 16 at Geodis Park.
Read the full article here
