As the 2026 FIFA World Cup nears its end, Major League Soccer is using the global event to try and turbocharge its future, launching what the league says is the largest coordinated marketing campaign in its 33-year history.
The effort features the somewhat audacious tagline “Thanks World, We’ll Take It From Here,” while leaning into the star power of its owners and top athletes, including Inter Miami megastar Lionel Messi, LAFC star Son Heung-Min, Inter Miami owner David Beckham, Austin FC owner Matthew McConaughey, LAFC owner Magic Johnson and Philadelphia Union owner Kevin Durant.
“The FIFA World Cup is going to bring millions of new fans into the game, and our job is to make sure their soccer journey doesn’t end when the tournament does,” Radhika Duggal, the CMO of MLS, tells The Hollywood Reporter. “This campaign is about showing people that there’s a club, a community, and a story waiting for them every week in MLS. We’re meeting fans through culture, music, and entertainment, making it easy to discover the league, whether that’s on Apple TV or at their local stadium. MLS has never been more ambitious or more connected to the moments shaping culture, and we’re excited to welcome a whole new generation of fans.”
The campaign will kick off during Fox‘s coverage of the World Cup semifinals and final this week, and will continue via Apple TV and other linear, streaming, digital, social, and out-of-home platforms.
The campaign will also include elements from all 30 MLS clubs, with 22 of them offering “first match on us” promotions with free tickets. And it will include an Amazon Music Original cover of the Tribe Called Quest song “Can I Kick It?” — created exclusively for MLS. Produced by legendary producer DJ Premier and featuring new vocals and lyrics from breakout artist Samara Cyn.
“At a defining moment for soccer in North America, MLS is turning global excitement into lasting engagement and connection,” said Camilo Durana, executive VP & chief business officer of MLS. “As the World Cup inspires new fans, our clubs and communities are ready to welcome them as the season resumes and the next chapter of their soccer journey begins with MLS.”
MLS is betting big that enormous interest in the World Cup can translate into invigorated interest in its league, particularly if fans follow, say, Messi or Son. The World Cup has been a ratings bonanza for both Fox and Telemundo, garnering NFL-like numbers for games featuring the U.S. team, and Mexico-England’s blockbuster battle last week drawing more than 44 million people between the two networks and their streaming platforms.
MLS, of course, used the 1994 World Cup (the last one to be played in the U.S.) to launch, but the interest in this one is off-the-charts, and it is hoping that it can be just the thing to kickstart the sport as something that can be viewed as on par with the top leagues in a sports-obsessed country.
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