What to watch for in N. American soccer business in 2026
Capturing the big moment: The World Cup is six months away but is already top of the agenda and is going to utterly dominate the first half of the year. The hype and excitement will be accompanied by plenty of criticism and doom-mongering in the media of course but, past experience suggests, that the negative noise dissipates quickly once the action begins. Mainstream media, general sports fans and big name brands will all be jumping on the sport in a way we have never seen before.
But the big question remains - can the new fans that are created by the World Cup be turned into supporters of domestic American and Canadian soccer? Or will those inspired by the show, the converts and the casuals who become active, avid fans, simply create a bigger pool of people watching international soccer broadcasts?
We’ve said all along that those who plan ahead, have a strategy and engage with the tournament (more specifically with fans) will be the winners - those who simply assume there will be a ‘boom’ risk missing out. It will be interesting to see who really was ready, which strategies worked and who ultimately benefits the most from the biggest World Cup ever being held on our soil.
MLS and Apple - the crucial year
Why does broadcasting matter so much for MLS? Because it represents the only way for the league to build out from the very healthy local market presence it has with most clubs (where attendance remains solid and local partnerships are strong) into becoming more truly ‘national’. If the Apple deal matures in 2026 it could offer a real pathway towards that goal.
With the MLS Season Pass subscription now extinct, the league has put itself in a much stronger position to capture the World Cup buzz with games available free to any subscriber to Apple TV. The partnership had been due to end in 2032 but will now conclude after the 2028/29 season and so the numbers next season will be being watched particularly closely. An average of over 700,000 for games in the post-season this year (with Season Pass removed) indicates there is a potential for the partnership to work in its new form. But will there be a ‘bump’ from the World Cup?
Interestingly, MLS has scheduled the Leagues Cup tournament with Liga MX clubs to start on August 4, a couple of weeks after the World Cup final. The group stage-to-knockout format mirrors that of the World Cup and the involvement of all 18 Mexican top flight clubs along with 18 MLS teams aims to attract the large Mexican-American audience. While there are critics of the Leagues Cup it is an innovative, modern competition and next year it appears well placed to capture the post-World Cup enthusiasm especially with stars such as Lionel Messi, Son Heung-min and hopefully some more, new big names, featuring.
2026 will be the last year of the spring-to-fall season before MLS switches to the international calendar for 27/28 (with a shortened ‘sprint’ season in between). While it is a pity that the new format wasn’t agreed on in time to launch right after the World Cup it does mean that fans will get a mini-tournament followed by the race for the playoffs and then the post-season, in the period after the summer ‘boom’. It all sounds good - but the proof, as always, will be in the numbers.
USL - from ambitious goals to proof of concept?
2025 has been a strong year for USL in terms of generating interest and buzz around their big plans for a new, Division One sanctioned, league with promotion and relegation to the other levels of the league. It has also been a year filled with announcements, proposals and discussions around expansion clubs in the lower levels of USL1 and USL 2. Indeed, Justin Papadakis, deputy CEO of the league, told The Soccer Business Podcast that the league was in talks with around 70 markets who had shown interest in building stadia and starting clubs. The hiring of Premier League executive Tony Scholes to run the new D1 league was another strong signal of intent.
Investors and others in the soccer space will be watching closely this year to see if USL starts to deliver real progress towards these goals. They will need to see more examples such as Detroit City with their concrete plans for a new 15,000 seater stadium and signs that new clubs in bigger markets are going to become a reality for the proposed D1 league. They will be looking for practical steps towards raising standards in terms of facilities, broadcasting, available capital and the overall conditions for players.
The goal is to start the new league with pro/rel in 2028 — if that is to become a reality, this year is a crucial one in establishing credibility for lofty ambitions. Elsewhere in the ecosystem we expect to see continued growth in the lower divisions with semi-pro teams going full-time and youth soccer organizations moving into men's semi-pro soccer.
NWSL - seeing off the competition
It’s not just the risk of losing Trinity Rodman that should be concerning the NWSL — there is a real prospect that European clubs flex their muscles in the transfer market and raid the American League for talent, weakening the product on the field. The NWSL is expanding, valuations of clubs are soaring and investors are showing keen interest. There is so much to be positive about for the league but they clearly understand the risk of a talent-drain. It hasn’t reached the levels of danger yet but the current talks, on how to find a way to make salary spend more flexible to allow clubs to keep top talents without paying a price in terms of the spend on the rest of their squads, show that the issue is front and center. The NWSL has the potential to secure the position as the number one women’s league in the world but it has to find a solution to the salary cap restrictions - and fast.
2026 Global Soccer Business Trends
PE and Investment
Private Equity firms will increasingly invest in the ecosystem around the game rather than just the clubs—buying stakes in sports tech companies, data analytics firms, ticketing platforms, and specialized agencies that service the industry.
Multi-Club Ownership (MCO) Rationalization: Investors will refine MCO strategies, moving from "collecting trophies" to building efficient player trading networks where talent is developed in smaller leagues (e.g., Belgium, Portugal) and moved to the flagship club in a major league (e.g., Premier League) to bypass the anarchy of the transfer market. Expect to see US investments popping up in new leagues that haven’t yet been in focus.
League-Level Commercial Liquidity: Private equity will continue to target the commercial arms of entire leagues (media rights and commercial subsidiaries) rather than individual teams, offering immediate capital injections in exchange for a percentage of future broadcasting revenue.
Women's Sports as a Primary Asset: Investment in women's soccer will continue to transition from a "CSR" (Corporate Social Responsibility) initiative to a pure growth play, with PE funds specifically targeting standalone women's teams or leagues, betting on the undervalued media rights and growing attendance numbers.
Media, Broadcasting and Content
From "Engagement" to "Attention Economy": Metrics will shift from "likes" and "shares" to "time spent" and sentiment analysis. Clubs will measure success by how long a fan interacts with content and the emotional quality of that interaction, rather than just the volume of clicks. The value of the engaged fan over the ‘clicking through’ casual will begin to be reflected.
Influencers & Creator Economy: Nano-Influencers over Macro-Stars: Brands will shift budgets from single posts by global icons or big creators to long-term partnerships with hundreds of “nano-influencers" with smaller but more committed and engaged followers. These creators offer higher conversion rates and "niche trust" within specific communities (e.g., local club supporters podcasts, fantasy football analysis, retro content producers, soccer fashion creators etc).
Performance-Based Compensation: The industry will move away from paying for "awareness" (views/likes) toward "affiliate-style" models where influencers are paid based on measurable actions, such as ticket sales, merchandise purchases, or app downloads driven by their specific tracking codes. The days of throwing big budgets at big creators just for ‘reach’ are coming to an end. The smart money looks, as always, for real results.
Hyperlocalization will become an increasing feature of streaming. We can see early signs of this with CBS-Paramount+’s EFL coverage where club provided ‘home commentators’ are replacing the neutral commenters of the world feed. Likewise with MLS on Apple TV offer the option to switch to (partisan) local radio commentaries. Streaming allows for alternatives to the look and feel of a traditional ‘national broadcast’.
Podcasts and Substacks moving mainstream - Netflix have signed up ‘The Rest is Football’ UK based podcast featuring Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Micah Richards for a daily show during the World Cup. Given the talent, this may prove to be more popular for post-match viewers than the traditional broadcasts. But also expect to see other podcasters still on platforms like Spotify and You Tube grab an ever bigger slice of the attention during the tournament. The same will happen with written content with writers (see Henry Winter) on niche substacks and other newsletter platforms taking eyeballs away from the legacy media.
Automated Content 'Snackification': AI will generate near-instant, vertical-video highlights specifically for social platforms during live matches, targeting younger demographics who prioritize "moments" over full 90-minute matches. We may see some of this during the World Cup but expect the trend to intensify afterwards as rights-holders adapt to user demands. MLS has been ahead of the game in this area.
Sponsorships and Partnerships
As some leagues and clubs face pressure (either regulatory or sentiment based) to move away from reliance on gambling companies, expect to see increased sponsorship and partnership activity from companies in tech and digital spaces. The most active companies will come from sectors such as artificial intelligence, fintech, streaming/media, health and wellness, and ESG-focused brands. Sponsorship deals will increasingly be multi-faceted, combining traditional assets (like shirt and stadium naming rights) with digital activations and immersive fan experiences.
Stadiums and Facilities
It has been clear throughout 2025 that stadiums as part of mixed-use retail developments is a trend that is here to stay - particularly in USL markets where cities are attracted by stadiums as part of a broader downtown entertainment offering. The investment cost and risk to start-up clubs should offer plenty of opportunities though for companies offering modular facilities. It should be noted that Inter Miami grew into the biggest brand in American soccer while playing at a modular venue.
Expect to see continued growth in investment in practice facilities and training centers. The example of Philadelphia Union, whose new facility is combined with a broader education concept, may be one that other clubs, particularly in MLS choose to value.
'Challenger Leagues' This coming year will see several new 'short form' leagues launch in the U.S. The Kings League and the Baller League both promise to start their Stateside versions in 2026, adding to a field that already includes The Soccer Tournament (TST). It will be fascinating to see how these digital-friendly, creator heavy, small-sized games fare in the U.S. market.
And finally.....the holidays is a great time to catch-up on those soccer business podcasts you might not have had the chance to listen to yet. Our full archive with links to our presence on all platforms can be found here.