MLS
FIFA president Gianni Infantino urged Major League Soccer owners to “think big” and “be bold” to grow the league to its full potential at a gathering in Los Angeles earlier this week.
With the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup and 2026 World Cup on the horizon, Infantino on Tuesday became the first FIFA president to attend an MLS Board of Governors meeting. The meeting is attended by all 30 ownership groups in MLS, as well as the league’s executive leadership team led by Commissioner Don Garber.
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At a ballroom in the Ritz Carlton in downtown Los Angeles, Infantino spoke about his belief that MLS can be one of the best leagues in the world, multiple sources present at the meeting said, but said that to reach those goals owners would have to increase their investment, pointing especially to academy development and the first-team rosters.
It was not a formal presentation, but rather a conversational approach that included a Q&A. FIFA secretary general ad interim Mattias Grafström was also in attendance. Infantino said he had been impressed with the owners’ passion and commitment to grow the game, and the growth of fan bases, stadiums and infrastructure around MLS. Infantino emphasized that FIFA was not picking up and moving on after the tournament, but rather wanted to be partners to grow the game in the U.S.
FIFA has opened offices in Miami that will remain in place after the World Cup in 2026 and Infantino is spending more time in the U.S. He has attended multiple MLS games this year, and attended the LA Lakers game on Tuesday night with Anschutz Entertainment Group CEO Dan Beckerman after the meetings. AEG owns the LA Galaxy and was one of the first and key investors in MLS.
Infantino pointed to the global standing of the U.S. as a top economic and commercial powerhouse, and said MLS should aim for a similar standing in the sport. He urged owners to “think big” in order to fully take advantage of the opportunities presented by the Club World Cup and World Cup coming to these shores.
The World Cup in 2026 is expected to be a massive boost for the sport in North America, just as it was in 1994 when it helped to launch MLS. Infantino said 2026 is an opportunity for “104 Super Bowls” (a reference to the number of games to be played at the newly-expanded World Cup) and that the tournament can be an unprecedented catalyst for the sport. He talked about the globalization of soccer, the impact of its biggest stars and encouraged MLS owners to think about how to be among the best leagues globally. Infantino urged owners to be bold in their approach to growing the league, the sources said.
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The Club World Cup next summer is a key opportunity for MLS. It will include at least two MLS teams and provide a chance for the league to test itself — and for fans to measure the league — against some of the world’s biggest clubs, including Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Inter Milan, as well as giants from this hemisphere, including the last four winners of South America’s Copa Libertadores.
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The Seattle Sounders have qualified for the tournament as winners of the 2022 CONCACAF Champions Cup. MLS will send another team as the “host nation” of the tournament. Just one MLS team, the Columbus Crew, remains alive in this year’s CONCACAF Champions Cup, the winner of which will also qualify for the tournament.
Infantino spoke briefly with reporters after meeting with the MLS owners.
“I was very happy for the first time that the FIFA president comes to an MLS meeting of this nature,” Infantino said. “We have great events coming up here in North America with the new Club World Cup next year, the World Cup in ’26, so a lot of promotion for soccer, or football as we call it. It’s important to work together to push the promotion of the game in North America and all over the world and from that point of view for me, it was very interesting, and looking forward to continue working together.”
Garber hinted at Infantino’s message on Tuesday when asked about the FIFA president’s presence at the meeting.
“Gianni set up at the dais and just expressed his views about where the sport is in our country, his views about Major League Soccer and the impact that we’ve made in growing the game, both at the fan level which has been significant, but certainly our commitment and investment in infrastructure and growing the supporter culture,” Garber said. “And I think he has very strong views that this is just the beginning of a journey where MLS can continue to evolve and grow with the right level of investment and the right level of support to reach really tremendous new heights.”
(Photo: NORBERTO DUARTE / AFP) (Photo by NORBERTO DUARTE/AFP via Getty Images)
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Paul Tenorio is a senior writer for The Athletic who covers soccer. He has previously written for the Washington Post, the Orlando Sentinel, FourFourTwo, ESPN and MLSsoccer.com. Follow Paul on Twitter @PaulTenorio
