Upon the league’s resumption, all 30 clubs will launch promotional initiatives and special offers to welcome new fans, including “First Match On Us” from 22 clubs, which provide complimentary tickets to first-time attendees. These efforts will help ensure affordable and accessible opportunities for fans to experience MLS matches.
Noting that the campaign starts on a day with no World Cup matches, Duggal said the league is exploiting the gap to ensure the conversation is all about the MLS. She believes it has scored the sweet spot for when to launch the marketing, saying that had the league launched earlier in the tournament, it would have been drowned out by the World Cup’s energy and excitement.
“You have too many matches, one right on top of the other. There’s too much coverage and too much noise,” Duggal said.
Calendar alignment
The successful reintroduction of the MLS is not the only thing on Duggal’s plate. The executive is busy preparing for a major calendar shift when the league switches to a fall-to-spring schedule, in line with other soccer leagues around the world.
The MLS is planning an 18-month campaign kicking off in February 2027 and running in roughly “consistent chapters throughout the sprint season and the 2027-2028 season.”
She said she is excited to show up for consumers when they expect to see soccer played in a way that’s unique to the MLS. In addition, the calendar alignment unlocks the league’s ability to participate in global transfer windows in a new, improved way.
This is all happening as the MLS has spent the last two years rebuilding its infrastructure to improve its fan conversion and get its players in front of viewers.
“Good players are good marketing, full stop,” Duggal said.
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