Major League Soccer (MLS), the US’ top tier of the sport, has announced a new globally-facing partnership with soccer media platform OneFootball.
The deal will see OneFootball globally broadcast highlights, as well as ancillary content, from the MLS, its developmental MLS NEXT Pro, and youth category MLS NEXT competitions.
Through the partnership, MLS is also taking a stake in OneFootball and will join its “Club Advisory Board”, its advisory body for active major soccer clubs and stakeholders, one of which includes Germany’s national soccer federation the DFB, as well as major clubs such as Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-German, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester City, and more.
Speaking on the deal, MLS executive vice president of media Seth Bacon stated: “As MLS continues to grow its relevance on a global scale, we are excited to work with OneFootball to provide fans around the world access to the amazing action in MLS each week.
“This collaboration provides an excellent platform to help further showcase all the momentum behind MLS to a young, tech-savvy, global audience and to further our mission of elevating the profile of MLS, and we look forward to working together with OneFootball to deliver compelling and engaging content to fans worldwide.”
OneFootball chief executive Patrick Fisher added: “We are thrilled to welcome MLS to our Club Advisory Board and look forward to this partnership enhancing their coverage and supporting the growth of soccer in North America and beyond.
“OneFootball’s mission is to deliver an unparalleled football content experience while empowering content owners to connect directly with their audiences.”
MLS is looking to expand its reach and appeal globally ahead of the US hosting several major soccer competitions in the coming years, including, FIFA’s expanded Club World Cup, and the 2026 World Cup (alongside Canada and Mexico).
OneFootball will air this MLS content package across its platforms, on its website, mobile app, and OneFootball partnered internet TV services such as Yahoo Sports, which hosts a OneFootball content hub.
Yahoo Sports, an arm of the web services and digital media company, partnered with OneFootball to craft the hub in March,, as part of the latter’s growth aims for North America.
The co-branded hub is now active in the US and Canada.
OneFootball has partnerships with around 130 clubs around the world, several of which are shareholders of the company following its acquisition of digital media platform Dugout in 2020.
