MLS Cup breaks viewership record with massive global audience

Inter Miami were crowned MLS champions last weekend after a hard-fought 3-1 victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps in MLS Cup.

It was one of the most hotly-anticipated MLS games of all time and became the most-watched MLS Cup game in league history.

Knowing the significance of the moment, Apple TV made the broadcast widely accessible, helping turn the Vancouver Whitecaps–Inter Miami showdown at Chase Stadium into a genuine global event. Lionel Messi clinched the championship in his final game alongside Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets, a fairy-tale ending for Inter Miami fans around the world.

How many people watched MLS Cup?

While 21,550 fans filled the stadium to witness the Herons’ triumph, millions more followed the action worldwide. According to an official MLS release, the match generated more than 4.6 million viewers across all platforms, underscoring the league’s growing dependence on its digital ecosystem to compete with America’s biggest sports properties.

More than 70% of Apple TV’s audience was under 45, highlighting MLS’s appeal to younger, tech-savvy viewers. In the United States FOX and Fox Deportes drew a modest 994,000 viewers, a figure still being reviewed due to a potential underestimation in Nielsen’s Big Data Panel.

On social media, MLS Cup 2025 produced 798 million impressions, a staggering 532% year-over-year increase. Even so, analysts warn that massive online engagement doesn’t always translate into long-term viewer retention, especially for leagues that rely heavily on global superstars, such as Lionel Messi.

Across the 29 playoff games MLS averaged 711,000 viewers, up 23% from 2024. It’s a sign of growth, though questions remain about whether the surge is sustainable or merely driven by star power and specific storylines.

One constant advantage MLS maintains over other U.S. leagues is its unified broadcast model with every match available worldwide on Apple TV with no geographic restrictions. The league says that this has helped attract fans in more than 100 countries and expects the audience to continue expanding going forward.

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