CNN —
More than 11 million fans have attended Major League Soccer matches this year, breaking the regular season attendance record.
With 16 games still remaining before the start of the MLS Cup playoffs, the total has already surpassed the previous record of 10,900,804 set in 2023. The average attendance across the league is 23,240, and it is the third year in a row that MLS crowds have totaled more than 10 million during the regular season.
The arrival of soccer icon Lionel Messi in July 2023 has likely played a significant part in the increase in attendance.
At just over 17,000, the average crowd for Inter Miami games, home and away, was the second smallest in the league in 2022. That number increased to 24,407 in 2023 as Messi signed for Miami part of the way through the season, and to 29,778 in 2024 – the second highest in the league behind Atlanta United.
Two of the top three highest attendances this season have come at Inter Miami matches. The Herons’ 3-2 victory over Sporting Kansas City at Arrowhead Stadium in April was watched by 72,610, the fourth-largest crowd in MLS history.
More than 70,000 were in attendance at the Rose Bowl for July’s El Tráfico, the derby between LA Galaxy and LAFC, while Inter Miami’s 4-1 win at the New England Revolution rounded out the top three biggest crowds with 65,612 watching at the Gillette Stadium in April.
Olivier Giroud hoists the championship trophy after LAFC defeated Sporting Kansas City 3-1 in extra time in the US Open Cup. Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
Following Messi’s arrival last year, this season has seen a number of big names continue to enter the league. Borussia Dortmund legend Marco Reus joined LA Galaxy in August, while French World Cup-winning duo Hugo Lloris and Olivier Giroud are now with LAFC.
Luis Suárez, Messi’s former teammate at Barcelona, was reunited with the Argentine this year and helped Inter Miami to its first ever Supporters’ Shield in early October. The Herons are favorites to take the MLS Cup, with the playoffs beginning later this month.