Messi Has Brought 'Transformational Year' For MLS Says Garber

Lionel Messi shakes hands with MLS Commissioner Don Garber after defeating Nashville to win the Leagues Cup final in August - AFP
Lionel Messi shakes hands with MLS Commissioner Don Garber after defeating Nashville to win the Leagues Cup final in August - AFP
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Messi Has Brought 'Transformational Year' For MLS Says Garber

Lionel Messi shakes hands with MLS Commissioner Don Garber after defeating Nashville to win the Leagues Cup final in August - AFP
Lionel Messi shakes hands with MLS Commissioner Don Garber after defeating Nashville to win the Leagues Cup final in August - AFP

Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber says his league has enjoyed a "transformational year" crediting the arrival of Lionel Messi and the broadcast deal with Apple TV for unprecedented interest.

But while he said North America would become the "epicenter" of the game with the World Cup, Copa America and FIFA Club World Cup all coming to the region, Garber acknowledged squeezing in all the club and country competitions was a headache.

In his annual "state of the league" address ahead of Saturday's MLS Cup final between Columbus Crew and Los Angeles FC, Garber said MLS was trending upwards in all key areas.

"Lionel Messi had many options for the next chapter of his iconic soccer career. The magnitude of his decision to join MLS cannot be over-stated," Garber said.

"A World Cup champion, an eight-time Ballon d'Or winner is playing in our league. We're not just part of the global conversation of sports but one of the biggest stories in the world, certainly one of the biggest stories this summer," added Garber, AFP reported.

Messi's arrival early in a new 10-year global streaming deal with Apple TV meant "more fans watch MLS games here and around the world than ever before" said Garber, without revealing overall audience figures from Apple.

MLS has also seen rising numbers of fans in stadiums across the country with the derby between Los Angeles FC and Los Angeles Galaxy attracting a league record 82,110 to the Rose Bowl on July 4.

Garber said there had been a record of "nearly 12 million fans" at MLS games throughout the year and also hailed the new Leagues Cup, held jointly with clubs from Mexico's Liga MX, as a "smashing success".

The tournament in the middle of the MLS regular season was won by Messi and Inter Miami and the World Cup-style format won over my skeptics.

"It was a success on every measure and as with so many things this year went on to exceed so many of our expectations. It is only the beginning. This is a tournament which will continue to grow in scale, in scope and reach in the years ahead," he said.

But the addition of Leagues Cup games comes into a calander that will be squeezed by the major tournaments coming to the USA in the coming years.

Next year will see the USA host the Copa America before the new, expanded 32-team, FIFA Club World Cup is held in the country a year ahead of the World Cup itself, co-hosted with Canada and Mexico.

"For the next few years, North America will be the epicenter for the beautiful game," he said.

But with the Leagues Cup, CONCACAF Champions Cup, the US Open Cup as well as the regular season and the playoffs, fitting all the games in while protecting players from burn-out remains a challenge.

Garber said MLS would not stop play during Copa America saying they could not afford to halt their season but would have to be "creative" with their schedule.

MLS usually plays through the regional CONCACAF Gold Cup but Garber said there was no question of the league continuing during the World Cup.



Lionel Messi, Inter Miami Drive Club World Cup Ratings

Soccer Football - FIFA Club World Cup - Inter Miami CF Training - Inter Miami CF Training Centre, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, US - June 26, 2025 Inter Miami CF's Lionel Messi with Luis Suarez during training REUTERS/Hannah Mckay
Soccer Football - FIFA Club World Cup - Inter Miami CF Training - Inter Miami CF Training Centre, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, US - June 26, 2025 Inter Miami CF's Lionel Messi with Luis Suarez during training REUTERS/Hannah Mckay
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Lionel Messi, Inter Miami Drive Club World Cup Ratings

Soccer Football - FIFA Club World Cup - Inter Miami CF Training - Inter Miami CF Training Centre, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, US - June 26, 2025 Inter Miami CF's Lionel Messi with Luis Suarez during training REUTERS/Hannah Mckay
Soccer Football - FIFA Club World Cup - Inter Miami CF Training - Inter Miami CF Training Centre, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, US - June 26, 2025 Inter Miami CF's Lionel Messi with Luis Suarez during training REUTERS/Hannah Mckay

Lionel Messi, arguably the most recognizable player in the Club World Cup, is steering viewership to his underdog team.

Messi and his Inter Miami teammates are helping the expanded tournament draw US television ratings that are roughly comparable to those of the Premier League in the recently concluded season, Reuters reported.

Club World Cup broadcasts in English on TNT Sports (TNT, TBS and truTV) were averaging 360,000 through Wednesday, per Sports Media Watch. Sports Business Journal noted that the highly popular Premier League drew 394,000 per match on USA Network in the 2024-25 season.

Only a small number of Club World Cup are carried by TNT Sports, with all matches available on DAZN.

Three of the top seven English-language telecasts on TNT Sports featured Inter Miami, led by 676,000 tuning in to see the Major League Soccer side draw 2-2 with Brazil's Palmeiras on Monday. The Miami matches attracted even larger viewership on Spanish-language broadcasts.

Inter Miami drew 0-0 with Egypt's Al Ahly (371,000 viewers), then earned an upset 2-1 win over Portugal's Porto (349,000) before the tie with Palmeiras. Those results allowed Messi & Co. to finish second in Group A, setting up a Round of 16 matchup with Paris Saint-Germain that should be a rating bonanza.

The Sunday contest in Atlanta pits Messi against the team he represented immediately before coming to Miami. And PSG are the newly crowned winners of the UEFA Champions League, the most prestigious continental club tournament.

According to Sports Media Watch, the CONCACAF Gold Cup matchup on Sunday between the US men's national team and Haiti attracted an audience of 1.2 million viewers on Fox. The US won 2-1 to finish atop its group and set up a Sunday quarterfinal contest against Costa Rica in Minneapolis.