How does MLS's average attendance compare to Europe's top leagues?

Tom Weber

• 28 Oct 2025 15:01 CDT
• 4 min read

News

Major League Soccer has enjoyed rapid growth in recent years, with the league expanding to 30 teams and a steady flow of high-profile stars, as well as talented youngsters, improving the quality of the league.

In 2025, San Diego joined the league and immediately impressed on and off the pitch. The Californians enjoyed the best expansion season in MLS history, finishing top of the Western Conference despite some relatively understated transfers.

In the stands, too, San Diego quickly established themselves among the division's elite. With an average attendance of around 28,000 at Snapdragon Stadium, the expansion side only trail Charlotte FC, the Seattle Sounders and Atlanta United in terms of spectators.

San Diego played their part in MLS recording its second-highest total attendance figure during the 2025 regular season with 11.2 million fans - an increase of 12 per cent since 2022. MLS matches were watched by 21,988 spectators on average this year.

The presence of global megastars like Lionel Messi and Son Heung-min has massively increased fan engagement online and in real life. It is no exaggeration to say that MLS is getting closer to fulfilling its long-term ambition of reaching the level of Europe's top leagues.

MLS attendance compared to European leagues

The above-mentioned attendance figures illustrate this, too. While MLS can't compete with the Premier League or the Bundesliga, numbers compare favourably to its counterparts across the pond.

According to UEFA's annual European Club Talent and Competition Landscape report, the Premier League had the highest average attendance out of any European league in 2024/25 with 40,389 per match.

The German Bundesliga came in second with 38,652, suffering a two per cent decrease compared to 2023/24 due to the presence of smaller teams like Holstein Kiel and VfL Bochum.

Serie A recorded the third-highest average attendance per match with 30,730, while LaLiga put up a number of 29,987. Despite its massive TV rights battle - or perhaps because of it - Ligue 1 enjoyed a four per cent increase and clocked in at fifth with 27,891.

The gap between Europe's top-five leagues and the rest of the continent is quite significant. The next highest average attendance figures were seen in the Eredivisie with 20,011, which means that MLS would sit sixth, sandwiched between the French and Dutch top divisions.

The Scottish Premiership recorded 17,303 fans per match, followed by another large gap to Poland with just 12,651. The top flights in Switzerland, Portugal and Russia also welcomed over 12,000 supporters to their matches.

It is important to note that the above data only includes European first divisions. The 2. Bundesliga, for example, put up a record average attendance figure of over 30,000 per match, while the English Championship had a total attendance of 12.2m. However, the report does not provide comprehensive data for lower divisions.

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