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MLS viewership surges 93 percent in 2026 as social media engagement hits record high

Social engagement hits record levels Social engagement hits record levels MLS and its clubs generated a combined 19.1 billion social media impressions during the 2026 regular season, an 18 percent increase from 2025.

✦ Extractive summary — built from the sources' own reporting•From 1 source•1 min read•Updated November 11, 2026, 6:07 PM UTC
Key points
  • Across league and club platforms, MLS also recorded 5.8 billion video views, an 11 percent increase, while MLSsoccer.com attracted 65 million page views, up 28 percent.
  • The league's own social channels accounted for 5.9 billion impressions, a 44 percent increase, and 225 million engagements, up 47 percent.
  • A World Cup bump A World Cup bump MLS also reported an increase in viewership among younger audiences following the World Cup break.

Lionel Messi Inter Miami 2026 MLS goal celebration - Getty The numbers trend the right way The numbers trend the right way MLS averaged an estimated 7.2 million gross live match viewers per week across streaming and linear platforms in 2026, a 93 percent increase from the previous season.

Additional details
  • Regular-season broadcasts on FOX and FS1 saw a 45 percent increase among men ages 18-34 and an 18 percent rise among all adults in the same age group compared with matches played before the tournament.
  • Nashville SC's July 17 meeting with Atlanta United drew 587,000 viewers on FOX, making it the network's most-watched MLS regular-season match since the opening weekend of 2020.
  • Engagements also reached a record 838 million, up 13 percent year over year.
  • More than 11.2 million fans attended MLS regular-season matches, the second-highest total in league history, with an average of 22,063 per game.
  • The figures come after Commissioner Don Garber expressed optimism that the 2026 World Cup would generate greater interest in domestic soccer.

How this summary was made: extractive summary — built from the sources' own reporting. It is drawn only from the reporting of the sources listed below — read the originals for full detail. How we summarize →

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Every article behind this summary — 1 article from 1 outlet

Yahoo SportsNovember 11, 2026, 6:07 PM UTC →

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