MLS
Which MLS team has the biggest average attendance?
Lionel Messi’s new team are not only bottom of MLS, but also have the smallest stadium in the league.
There has been a huge surge in interest for MLS tickets since Argentina star Lionel Messi announced that he was moving to Inter Miami at the end of his Paris Saint-Germain contract.
The 35-year-old is often touted as the finest footballer of all time and the chance to see him in the flesh during the final years of his spell-binding career is proving too good an opportunity for many fans to turn down.
Within three days of Messi’s move being announced the price of an Inter Miami ticket during July, when he is expected to make his debut, had soared by 2700% on ticket re-sale site StubHub. Part of the reason for the huge increase is scarcity; Inter Miami’s 18,000-seat DRV PNK Stadium is the joint-smallest stadium in MLS.
We take a look at the teams with the biggest stadiums and the largest supports in the league…
Biggest attendances in MLS for 2023
In recent years there has been a concerted effort to encourage MLS teams to ditch their repurposed or multi-use stadiums to build soccer-specific homes. The logic is that these purpose-built structures will be more suited to the sport and will be a more appropriate size given the popularity of the sport.
However this process is still in the works, meaning that there is a huge disparity between the largest and smallest stadiums in the league. The largest stadium in MLS is Charlotte FC’s Bank of America Stadium, followed closely by the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. However both were built to house the cities’ NFL teams and are typically only half-full for MLS games.
At the other end of the spectrum Inter Miami and the San Jose Earthquakes (PayPal Park) have the smallest stadiums with 18,000 seats, but both are purpose-built for soccer. Miami’s stadium is just a temporary venue until the club has completed work on a new home in the Miami Freedom Park.
Largest MLS stadiums
1. Charlotte FC, Bank of America Stadium: 75,412 (average attendance 36,746)
2. Atlanta United FC, Mercedes-Benz Stadium: 73,019 (45,702)
3. Seattle Sounders FC, Lumen Field: 37,722 (32,121)
4. Toronto FC, BMO Field: 30,991 (24,951)
5. New York City FC, Yankee Stadium: 30,321 (20,056)
Smallest MLS stadiums
1. San Jose Earthquakes, PayPal Park: 18,000 (average attendance 18,106; one game played at Levi’s Stadium)
2. Inter Miami CF, DRV PNK Stadium: 18,000 (16,687)
3. Colorado Rapids, Dick’s Sporting Goods Park: 18,086 (14,956)
4. Philadelphia Union, Subaru Park: 18,500+ (18,728)
5. Minnesota United FC, Allianz Field: 19,600 (19,410)