The Whitecaps are among three teams that set new single-match attendance records this year for games against Inter MiamiJeff Vinnick/Getty Images
MLS clubs are averaging 23,246 fans per match so far this season, marking an increase of 7% from the same point last season. In total, more than 6.5 million people have come through the turnstiles so far this season, marking an increase of about 725,000, or 13%, from the same point in the 2023 season. Twenty of the league’s 29 teams have seen year-over-year increases, compared to five whose attendance is flat and four who have seen single-digit declines.
The presence of Inter Miami F Lionel Messi, who had yet to join the league at this point last season, has been a key driver of increased attendance. Three teams -- Sporting KC, the Revolution and the Whitecaps -- set new single-match attendance records this year for games against Inter Miami. (Sporting KC moved its Inter Miami match to a larger venue, Arrowhead Stadium, to accommodate increased ticket demand). Inter Miami itself has also seen its average attendance increase by 27% from the same point last season.
In addition to the Messi Effect, MLS EVP Camilo Durana attributed increased attendance to last year’s launch of a club performance group aimed at helping teams improve business fundamentals, with a particular emphasis on ticket sales. The league hired former Ilitch Sports + Entertainment President & CEO Chris McGowan to lead that unit as EVP & Chief Club Performance Officer.
“They do a tremendous amount of work with clubs on best practices,” Durana said. “A lot of clubs are looking at the actual product -- standing sections, premium options. A lot of investment is being made in shifting those to reflect the demands of specific markets.”
Durana also speculated that fans are getting used to the league’s recently standardized scheduling, under which most matches start at 7:30pm local time on Saturday evenings. The new practice went into effect last season, coinciding with the start of the league’s media partnership with Apple.
The Whitecaps (+82%), Revolution (+33%), Fire (+29%), Sporting KC (+28%) and Inter Miami (+27%) have scored the biggest attendance increases by percentage so far this season. Only the Sounders (-5%), Timbers (-5%), Rapids (-5%) and Charlotte FC (-6%) have seen attendance decline, all by single-digit margins.
