MLS
FIFA president Gianni Infantino addressed MLS owners at the league’s Board of Governors meeting this week, becoming the first FIFA president to attend a board meeting since MLS’s founding in 1996.
“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.”
The MLS Board of Governors consists of a representative from ownership of each of the league’s 30 teams and is led by Commissioner Don Garber. The board meets in person three times per year and often uses those meetings to discuss league business and vote on league initiatives.
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Garber said Infantino joined the board dinner on Monday night as well as the early portion of the meeting on Tuesday. FIFA’s interim secretary general Mattias Grafström also attended the meetings.
“It’s the first time in 29 years that a FIFA president has come to an MLS board meeting and I think it speaks to or underscores the importance of the North American soccer market and FIFA is embracing the opportunity here to grow the game,” Garber said. “And it’s exciting to see the enthusiasm that exists both at the FIFA level and at the CONCACAF level with where we are today, but probably most importantly, what potential we have to make soccer the preeminent sport in this country.”
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Garber said FIFA did not make a formal presentation, but rather took a more conversational approach to discussing the growth of the game in the U.S. and of the league itself.
“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.”
Garber said the league feels excited at the opportunity to work together with FIFA on several initiatives, pointing to things like coaching education and other off-field initiatives and working with local governments to provide lasting value beyond the 2026 World Cup.
“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,” Infantino said.
FIFA declined to comment further when asked about the world governing body’s removal as a defendant in Relevent Sports’ antitrust lawsuit, beyond the organization’s already-issued statement. The development is seen as a potential indicator that FIFA could change its policy on allowing domestic league competitions to hold games outside of their home territories – in effect, making the U.S. a potential host of games from big European leagues like the Premier League.
Garber said he could not comment on the suit except to say that MLS will “take a step back and just try to get a better understanding of what the situation is.”
(Top photo: ULIEN DE ROSA/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
