“Pele – the Brazilian world football legend – introduced football to the United States. Then the 1994 World Cup reinforced the love of this sport here. But with Messi now, everything has been taken to a new level. The Argentine star has become the most favorite sportsman in the United States, something that has never happened before,” AS expressed.
“Messi has helped popularize football in the US, with his appeal skyrocketing since joining Inter Miami and helping the team achieve consecutive successes with 2 Leagues Cup championships in 2023 and Supporters’ Shield in 2024. Messi’s appeal keeps football stadiums in the US full of spectators, something that David Beckham, Ibrahimovic, Lampard, Raul or David Villa have only partially achieved before. Messi has breathed new life into this sport that continues to grow in the US,” AS emphasized.
In the latest match, Messi and Inter Miami lost 1-2 to Atlanta United away at Mercedes-Benz in the second match of the “3-match” series in the first round of the MLS Cup play-off – the American professional soccer tournament, attracting 68,455 spectators. This is the match with the 5th highest number of spectators in the history of Atlanta United Club, and the first time since 2019 when this team also played in MLS Cup.
Despite Inter Miami losing the match and having to play the third match at 8am on November 10 to compete for a ticket to the next round with Atlanta United, the offices at Chase Stadium were still very busy as fans flocked to register to buy tickets to the stadium to support Messi and his teammates, according to AS .
Meanwhile, analysis by Blinkfire Analytics shows that Inter Miami is now the most popular soccer team in the United States, both domestically and globally. The revenue of the club, which is chaired and co-owned by David Beckham, has skyrocketed to more than $200 million in 2024, four times higher than in 2023.
The jersey with Messi’s name and number 10 has become the best-selling product in the world, with prices up to $200 (over 5 million VND) each. According to Bloomberg (USA), Inter Miami’s home matches at Chase Stadium in 2024 are always sold out, and the number of tickets for away matches is also sold out. Inter Miami’s sponsorship revenue alone is expected to reach $55 million.
“Messi’s presence in MLS has now become a huge asset,” AS asserted. “This has proven that with or without the player playing, the stadiums of other clubs have also seen a surge in attendance. Ticket sales have increased in all aspects since MLS had Messi.
Atlanta United, for example, has averaged 47,000 fans at Mercedes-Benz Stadium this year, nearly double the usual attendance, while the recent LA Galaxy-LAFC derby drew more than 70,000 fans to the Rose Bowl.
“MLS has bigger plans after Messi can end his career in the US in the next 2 or 3 years. That is through the upcoming 2026 World Cup to establish football as a cornerstone of sports culture in the US. MLS has a clear strategy through Messi, making this a competitive football market.
MLS knows it’s hard to compete with the big leagues in Europe right now, but it’s growing significantly, entering the top 10 leagues in the world by 2024. Continuing to expand the rules could help MLS attract more stars by 2025.
“Therefore, this tournament wants to have higher profits and is willing to invest significantly to continue the current growth momentum. MLS’s goal is to maintain Messi’s presence and find the next new Messi,” AS emphasized.
