December 5 – MLS team sponsorships for 2025 hit $715 million in 2025, an 8% growth on the previous year with five teams earning more than £30 million in sponsorship over the season, according to a report by SponsorUnited.

The league’s consistently highest performers generated the most sponsor revenue, led by Los Angeles FC (LAFC). Lionel Messi fuelled Inter Miami CF were ranked second followed by LA Galaxy, newcomers Austin FC, and Atlanta United.

The big name players and their social media followings are key drivers of sponsorship and not surprisingly Messi leads with 18 tracked brand endorsements and a combined social following of 629 million.

Following him are German legend and Vancouver Whitecaps Thomas Müller (14 brands, 43 million followers and a match-up on the pitch coming this weekend against Messi in the MLS Cup final), and South Korean Son Heung-min (13 brands, 20 million followers) who has made a step-change for LAFC on and off the field following his transfer from Premier League Tottenham Hotspur.

Domestically Real Salt Lake midfielder Diego Luna’s performances for the US team at the Gold Cup in the summer and his back story have captured the imagination of sponsors but social reach is playing catch-up (10 brands, 60K followers).

The report tracks traditional sponsorship deals, and includes individual brands that are part of a parent company portfolio; deals signed at the league level (but that include team signage); and/or sponsorship deals signed through third-party agencies.

“Reaching record-breaking levels of team sponsorship revenue represents a major step forward for the MLS and reflects the league’s strengthening commercial foundation,” said Schafer Chulay, Director of Business Intelligence at SponsorUnited.

Top spending sponsor category identified in the report is financial services, while automotive and food products were the fastest-growing categories, posting 17% year-on-year growth.

Jersey patch revenue saw high value growth over the season with deals by Gillette, El Camino Health, and DirecTV highlighted by Sponsor United.

There was more than $14 million spent on new venue naming rights agreements including Inter & Co (Orlando), Sports Illustrated (New jersey), and Energizer (St Louis).

A trend across the league has been an increase in share of spend within major brands. Royal Caribbean and Etihad Airways now dedicate 100% of their tracked sponsorship spend to MLS team deals, while BMO (Bank of Montreal) sends 68% of its spend towards MLS partnerships. Toyota has expanded its footprint by sponsoring 12 MLS teams and AB InBev now partners with 17 clubs.

“We’re seeing more clubs ascend into elite tiers of commercial performance for the first time, signalling how quickly the league’s ceiling is rising. With global attention building ahead of the 2026 World Cup, our data suggests that the MLS is entering a period of meaningful acceleration with vast opportunity still available for brands looking to get in early,” said Chulay.

To see the full report click here.

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