FIFA President Gianni Infantino urged Major League Soccer owners to “think big” and “be bold” to grow the league to its full potential during a gathering in Los Angeles earlier this week.
With the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup and 2026 World Cup looming on the horizon, Infantino on Tuesday became the first FIFA president to attend a meeting of the MLS Board of Governors. The meeting brings together all 30 MLS ownership groups, as well as the league’s management team led by Commissioner Don Garber.
In a ballroom at the Ritz Carlton in downtown Los Angeles, Infantino expressed his belief that MLS can be one of the best leagues in the world, multiple sources at the meeting said, but said that to achieve With these goals in mind, owners are expected to increase their investment, particularly pointing towards academy development and first team numbers.
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This was not a formal presentation, but rather a conversational approach including a question and answer session. Acting FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafström was also present. Infantino said he has been impressed by the owners’ passion and commitment to growing the game, as well as the growth in fans, stadiums and infrastructure around MLS. Infantino stressed that FIFA was not taking over the rest of the tournament, but rather wanted to be a partner in growing the game in the United States.
FIFA has opened offices in Miami that will remain after the World Cup in 2026 and Infantino is spending more time in the United States. He has attended several MLS games this year and attended the LA Lakers game Tuesday night with Anschutz Entertainment Group CEO Dan. Beckerman after the meetings. AEG owns the LA Galaxy and was one of the first and largest investors in MLS.
Infantino highlighted the United States’ global position as a leading economic and commercial power, and said MLS should aim for a similar position in the sport. He urged owners to “think big” in order to take full advantage of the opportunities presented by the Club World Cup and World Cup coming to our shores.
The 2026 World Cup should be a huge boost for the sport in North America, just as it was in 1994, when it helped launch MLS. Infantino said 2026 would see “104 Super Bowls” (a reference to the number of games that will be played in the newly expanded World Cup) and that the tournament could be an unprecedented catalyst for the sport. He spoke about the globalization of soccer, the impact of its biggest stars and encouraged MLS owners to think about how to be among the world’s best leagues. Infantino urged the owners to be bold in their approach to growing the league, the sources said.
The Club World Cup next summer represents a key opportunity for MLS. It will feature at least two MLS teams and will provide an opportunity for the league to test itself – and fans to measure the league – against some of the biggest clubs in the world, including Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and the ‘Inter Milan. like giants of this hemisphere, including the last four winners of the Copa Libertadores of South America.
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The Seattle Sounders qualified for the tournament as winners of the 2022 CONCACAF Champions Cup. MLS will send another team as the “host nation” of the tournament. Only one MLS team, the Columbus Crew, remains alive in this year’s CONCACAF Champions Cup, the winner of which will also qualify for the tournament.
Infantino spoke briefly with reporters after meeting with MLS owners.
“I was very happy for the first time that the FIFA president came to a meeting of this nature in MLS,” Infantino said. “We have some big events coming up here in North America with the new Club World Cup next year, the World Cup in 2026, so a lot of promotion for soccer, or soccer as we call it. It’s important to work together to push the promotion of the game in North America and around the world and from this point of view for me, it was very interesting and I look forward to continuing to work together.
Garber alluded to Infantino’s message Tuesday when asked about the FIFA president’s presence at the meeting.
“Gianni sat on the stage and just expressed his views on the state of sports in our country, his views on Major League Soccer and the impact we have had in the growth of the game , both at the fan level, which has been significant, but certainly our commitment and investment in infrastructure and developing fan culture,” Garber said. “And I think he’s very convinced that this is just the beginning of a journey in which MLS can continue to evolve and grow with the right level of investment and the right level of support to reach truly great new heights.”
(Photo: NORBERTO DUARTE / AFP) (Photo by NORBERTO DUARTE/AFP via Getty Images)