Major League Soccer has announced that it is well on its way to achieving record attendance numbers in the year 2024. With the league currently averaging 23,246 fans per game, there has been a 7% increase from this time last year. This steady growth puts MLS on track to surpass the record average attendance of 22,111 fans per game for an entire season.
Unsurprisingly, the presence of soccer legend Lionel Messi playing for Inter Miami CF has been a major driving force behind the surge in attendance. Among the seven teams experiencing double-digit increases in average attendance compared to last year, six of them have hosted games against Inter Miami. The Herons’ home attendance has seen an impressive 26.6% increase from the previous year, showcasing the impact of star power on attracting fans to the matches.
In 2024, 25 out of the 29 teams in the MLS have either maintained or seen a rise in attendance compared to the same period in the previous year. The league has already welcomed nearly 6.5 million fans to matches this season, which is 725,000 more fans than this time last year. It is evident that the overall popularity and appeal of MLS games have been on the rise, drawing in larger crowds across various teams.
The excitement around MLS matches in 2024 is further highlighted by the fact that fifteen games have recorded attendance numbers exceeding 40,000 spectators. This marks the highest number of high-attendance matches at this point in league history, underscoring the growing interest and support for Major League Soccer games nationwide.
The 2024 MLS season is shaping up to be a groundbreaking year for the league in terms of attendance numbers. With star players like Lionel Messi driving up interest and fans flocking to matches in record numbers, it is clear that the appeal of MLS games is stronger than ever. The ongoing rise in attendance figures and the historic milestones being reached reflect a bright future for soccer in the United States, solidifying MLS as a major player in the world of sports entertainment.