TikTok Extends Partnership With Major League Soccer

TikTok has renewed its content partnership with Major League Soccer (MLS), continuing a collaboration first launched in 2023 and continued throughout 2024. The renewed agreement will bring more exclusive MLS content to the platform, including behind-the-scenes footage, match highlights, fan reactions, and other creative features designed to engage soccer fans.

This move follows the success of earlier joint efforts, including the “Player Spotlight: Messi” initiative, which marked TikTok’s first foray into live sports coverage. The campaign, developed alongside Apple TV and MLS, featured a dedicated livestream of Lionel Messi during his debut MLS Cup Playoff match with Inter Miami CF. Though it wasn’t a full game broadcast, the Messi-focused feed drew significant attention, reaching a peak of 150,000 concurrent viewers.

TikTok has increasingly become a central hub for soccer-related content. The app now hosts 14.8 million posts under the #soccer hashtag, with nearly 9 million of those generated in 2024 alone. Internal data from TikTok also reveals that 65% of MLS’s TikTok fanbase comes from outside the U.S., highlighting the league’s growing international reach and the global audience the platform is tapping into.

As part of the extended partnership, TikTok will continue to serve as a prominent sponsor of the league while strengthening its position as a key venue for soccer discussion and content consumption. While MLS still trails behind major European leagues in global stature, the influx of high-profile international players and broader digital exposure may help raise its profile.