Lionel Messi will star in an exclusive TikTok livestream during Inter Miami’s Aug. 2 Leagues Cup matchup with Necaxa as part of Major League Soccer’s continued audience expansion efforts, MLS announced Thursday.
A Messi-focused camera will track the 38-year-old Argentine superstar throughout the game, in a mobile-friendly vertical format with custom graphics. MLS rolled out a similar offering in October 2024 and drew 6.4 million viewers across the league and team’s TikTok pages. That game, Messi’s playoff debut, became the most widely viewed sporting event in Apple history, the company said later. A total of four Messi cam streams, dubbed “Player Spotlight: Messi” are planned this year.
Advertisement
More from Sportico.com
“Everything we’re doing is focused on fan growth,” MLS EVP of media Seth Bacon said in an interview. “We’re a league that is going to put the content where the people are. … Everything is on Apple, but we’re also going to find you in other ways, so that you can see it, experience it, and then you know that it’s on Apple.”
In the third season of MLS’ $2.5 billion Apple tie-up, the league has launched a new Sunday Night Soccer tentpole, increased MLS Season Pass access on Android devices and introduced various distribution agreements with Comcast, DirecTV and T-Mobile. Select games also air on Fox networks and, after the fact, on regional sports networks. Certain matches stream within EA Sports FC’s mobile app. Sunday Night Soccer airs on linear networks internationally with a reach of 260 million households.
MLS commissioner Don Garber said Wednesday that the league is averaging 120,000 unique viewers per Season Pass stream in 2025, an “almost 50%” increase over last year, in large part due to the increased distribution partnerships.
Advertisement
Meanwhile, MLS and TikTok announced a multiyear partnership in April that brings live match highlights and fan reactions to the platform.
MLS held its All-Star Game, a battle with Liga MX’s All-Stars, on Wednesday night in Austin. The event was streamed on Amazon Prime Video. Messi and his Inter Miami teammate Jordi Alba sat out despite the league believing they might participate as recently as this week.
There is no indication, however, that Messi’s status is in jeopardy for Inter Miami’s upcoming Leagues Cup match in which his every move will be streamed on TikTok.
The Leagues Cup has a new format this year, with 18 teams each from Liga MX and MLS competing and a bracket system that will lead to four quarterfinal affairs pitting Mexican squads against northern neighbors.
Advertisement
Messi made his MLS debut in the Leagues Cup in 2023. Two years into Messi’s time with MLS, Bacon said Inter Miami in particular has seen an uptick in interest from new fans. On TikTok, the club has 12.1 million followers, about six times as many as the Florida Panthers, Miami Heat and Miami Marlins combined. MLS has worked with the club to turn those fans into MLS game viewers who come to learn more about the rest of the league as well.
MLS is also focused on content recommendation and personalized marketing initiatives to tailor the offering for newcomers, with an eye both towards Messi’s remaining time in the league as well as opportunities around next year’s World Cup, hosted in North America.
“We have the ability to say, ‘Hey, come this way, or come this way or come this way,” Bacon said. “We’ve got ways to entertain and engage people, no matter what level of interest they have.”
Best of Sportico.com
Advertisement
Sign up for Sportico’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
