The new 2024 MLS Season is just weeks from commencing with an ever increasing global spotlight falling on the competition.
Paul Reidypaulreidy67Update: Feb 3rd, 2024 08:48 EST
Twitter @BMOStadium
Soccer and MLS in the United States are growing. The sport was already on an upward growth trajectory before Leo Messi’s arrival at Inter Miami last summer took matters to another level with the competition getting an overnight boost as global superstars such as Selena Gomez, LeBron James, Prince Harry and Leo DiCaprio turned out to see the Argentine in action last season.
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Lionel Messi #10 of Inter Miami CF prepares to enter as WTA player Serena Williams and NBA player LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers take photosMIKE EHRMANNAFP
Despite NFL still dominating the domestic panorama in the US, the average valuation for MLS has risen to $678 million dollars with a series of major global events such as Copa America, the 2025 expanded Club World Cup and the 2026 FIFA World Cup set to be key factors in spurring soccer’s growth Stateside.
Despite Messi’s impact seeing a major boost for Inter Miami on and off the field with the club securing their first ever silverware bagging the 2023 Leagues Cup, the club’s economic health has seen the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner ignite team’s business operations, with revenue more than doubling to $118 million in 2023, from $56 million in 2022.
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Despite the financial upturn that Messi has delivered for the Herons since his arrival, it’s Los Angeles Football Club who top the Forbes MLS rich list for the second consecutive year at $1.2 billion. The club added a 10-year, $100 million stadium naming rights pact with BMO prior to last season and, in July, drew an MLS single-game record 82,110 fans to the Rose Bowl for its Los Angeles derby game against LA Galaxy.
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