The 1994 World Cup transformed domestic football in the United States, leading directly to the creation of Major League Soccer. As the 2026 tournament approaches, the league is hoping for a similar boost, but a sense of stagnation has set in.
Since its launch in 1996, MLS has grown to 30 teams with dedicated fanbases and purpose-built stadiums. Clubs have developed productive youth academies and become active in the global transfer market. However, budgets still lag far behind the world's leading leagues, and the league appears to have hit a ceiling.
The prospect of the 2026 World Cup has long been seen as an inflection point, but unlike in 1994, no proceeds from the tournament are earmarked for MLS investment. It remains unclear how the league will benefit, leading to comparisons with the South Park gnome meme: a vague plan with a question mark before 'profit'.
MLS must generate a significant bump from the World Cup, but it does not feel as central to the conversation as in previous summers. The league's small footprint on the USMNT, partly a policy choice, and the gutting of its internal media apparatus may be factors. If the World Cup cannot act as an accelerant, the next leap forward is uncertain.
Soccer has entered the American mainstream, with packed bars for Premier League matches, ubiquitous jerseys, and high youth participation. Yet this has not fully translated to MLS. TV ratings are hard to gauge behind the Apple TV paywall, but a gap persists between MLS and European leagues or Mexico's Liga MX.
The struggles of the Vancouver Whitecaps, a club in a historic soccer city with a strong market and a good on-field product, illustrate the league's failure to ascend. If MLS were on the brink of hitting the bigtime, it would have outgrown such teething problems. The cleanest way to benefit from the World Cup may be to create more ties between MLS and the tournament.
