MLS eyes bigger presence in China, says communications chief

Major League Soccer (MLS) is looking to expand its global footprint, with China emerging as a market of interest.

"We welcome more engagement from Chinese fans," said Dan Courtemanche, Chief Communications Officer of MLS, during a briefing on Tuesday at the New York Foreign Press Center in response to a question from Xinhua. "There are certainly a lot of passionate football fans in that country, and we think there's an opportunity there."

Lionel Messi of Inter Miami waves to the crowd ahead of their friendly against a Hong Kong League XI on Feb. 4, 2024. (Xinhua/Lo Ping Fai)

Courtemanche acknowledged that players from China are rarely featured in the league, but he said MLS would like to change that. "We'd love to see more players [from China]," he added, noting that the league currently features players from around 80 countries and regions.

Looking ahead to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, to be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, Courtemanche called the tournament "rocket fuel" for the league. 11 of the 13 U.S. host cities are home to MLS clubs.

The league is also looking to invest in the next generation through programs such as MLS NEXT (youth development), MLS NEXT Pro (professional feeder league), and MLS GO (recreational youth football). All of these were launched in the last five years.

"We started because FIFA said, 'You need a Division I league to host the [1994] World Cup,'" Courtemanche said. "Now, 30 years later, we've not only built that league - we've built a football nation."

Courtemanche noted that international engagement is often player-led, though global brands can also play a significant role.

"Generally, it comes through players, but sometimes it comes through big global brands," he said, citing Inter Miami's off-season tour through the Middle East and Asia - led by Lionel Messi and several other international stars - as an example of outreach beyond the Americas.

To reach global audiences, MLS has partnered with Apple TV, which streams matches in more than 100 countries with no blackout restrictions. "My 13-year-old son doesn't watch linear television," Courtemanche said. "He goes to Netflix, he goes to Amazon, he goes to Apple TV, and increasingly, so does much of our audience."

Founded in 1996 as a legacy of the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States, MLS has grown from 10 to 30 clubs across the U.S. and Canada. More than 10 billion U.S. dollars has been invested in football-specific infrastructure, with teams moving from oversized American football stadiums to football-specific venues.