Garber targets overseas growth as MLS prepares World Cup conversion play

Major League Soccer is aiming to turn the 2026 FIFA World Cup into a catalyst for sustained international growth, with commissioner Don Garber saying the league’s next commercial phase depends on building audiences beyond North America.Garber said MLS has matured into a more credible destination for elite players and fans, and now needs to translate that momentum into lasting followings in key overseas markets.Garber said: “The league’s future is going to be to grow our fan base and our business outside the United States and Canada.“We are playing the global game, and we have been primarily a domestic league until now."The league’s approach reflects a belief that a World Cup hosted across the United States, Canada and Mexico will bring a large inflow of travelling supporters and global attention, creating a rare window to market the domestic competition to international visitors and viewers.Garber also signalled a shift in how MLS thinks about recruiting superstar talent, suggesting the league office is less likely to help structure the type of bespoke commercial packages used to land marquee signings in previous eras.“I’m not sure the league needs to get involved in those kinds of deals going forward,” Garber said. “There was a time we had to convince players to come, and now it really isn’t about that.”Instead, MLS is leaning on structural moves intended to make clubs more competitive in the global market, including its planned switch to a schedule aligned more closely with the international football calendar.“If we want to be a major player on the global stage, we’ve got to play the same game the rest of the world is playing, even if it’s a little harder for us,” Garber said.The calendar change is expected to help clubs operate more effectively in transfer windows and reduce clashes with international call-ups, while also giving commercial partners more consistent programming during the traditional global football season.Alongside roster strategy, MLS executives are positioning the league’s infrastructure as a selling point, with clubs investing heavily in football-specific stadiums, training grounds and academies that can host elite teams and events during the World Cup period.The league’s commercial challenge remains significant, with Europe’s leading clubs holding decades of heritage, global distribution advantages and higher wage capacity, but MLS believes the combination of World Cup exposure, improved facilities and a more global operating model can accelerate its international footprint.