MLS and NWSL attendance figures drop sharply during action-packed summer of soccer

Attendance figures for both Major League Soccer and the National Women’s Soccer League have dipped in 2025 after each set records during the previous season. After consistent growth, both leagues are now facing declines in the single-digit range, prompting concerns that a crowded summer of top-tier soccer in the United States may be impacting the teams that have driven the sport’s rapid rise in North America.

This summer saw the U.S. host the expanded FIFA Club World Cup, with nearly 2.5 million tickets sold for 63 matches across 11 MLS markets. Three MLS clubs—Inter Miami, LAFC, and Seattle Sounders—participated, and the league paused for 10 days during the tournament’s group stage. The same period also featured the Concacaf Gold Cup, which drew over half a million attendees across 12 markets, 10 of which overlap with MLS cities.

By mid-summer, 21 of MLS’s 30 teams were based in cities that hosted either the Club World Cup or Gold Cup. “By the end of Leagues Cup, there’ll be close to 4 million fans that will attend professional or national team soccer matches [in the U.S. and Canada] this summer, which is really an astounding number,” said MLS Commissioner Don Garber during his All-Star Game press conference, referring specifically to non-MLS league events.

The influx of international tournaments has meant increased competition for both attention and discretionary spending among fans in overlapping markets. Garber has previously called the U.S. “the ATM for the soccer world,” and the label seems especially relevant amid the packed 2025 soccer calendar. Despite the addition of San Diego FC, which ranks fourth in average home attendance, the league’s overall average through July 25 fell 5.9% from last year to 21,838 per match. Of 29 returning teams, 21 have seen year-over-year attendance drops, with 10 suffering double-digit declines.

Stadium renovations have also had an impact: FC Dallas is currently limited to 11,004 seats per match—42% below its 2024 average—due to construction at Toyota Stadium. Inter Miami, buoyed by Lionel Messi’s star power, has played fewer league matches and visited fewer large stadiums compared to last season. Other potential factors include increased immigration enforcement and challenging early-season weather in certain markets.

The data shows a particularly sharp drop in June, when average MLS attendance fell to 20,124—the lowest for that month since 2013—coinciding with the height of the Club World Cup and Gold Cup schedules. Nevertheless, Garber remains optimistic: “I’m confident that we will finish [the season] with another increase in our attendance,” he said. “And, by the way, when you’re constantly growing, it’s hard to continue to increase, but that’s our goal.”

The NWSL is also feeling the effects, with average attendance at 10,603 per match through its midseason break, down 4% from this point last year. Eight of the league’s 14 teams share markets with recent international tournament hosts, although executives believe the overlap between men’s and women’s club soccer audiences is limited. “The demographics that support one team versus the other, the crossover is actually quite small,” said Hugh Weber, president of business operations for the Seattle Sounders, after the club’s owners acquired a controlling stake in the NWSL’s Seattle Reign.

Interestingly, the USL’s men’s professional leagues have bucked the trend, posting attendance increases this year. Championship attendance climbed 5.2% to 5,382 per match, while League One saw a 17.3% jump to 2,735 per match compared to last season. The USL’s growth may be partly due to new teams and stadiums as well as its focus on smaller markets, mostly outside the reach of this summer’s major international soccer events, helping shield it from the competition that has affected MLS and NWSL.