A USL Championship match played in the aftermath of the World Cup drew 453,000 viewers, marking the second‑largest television audience in league history. The figure underscores a growing appetite for lower‑division soccer in the United States.
Rising Audiences Signal Growth
The 2024 USL Championship Final averaged 606,000 viewers on CBS, and the playoff clash between Pittsburgh and Louisville was only marginally behind the primetime MLS broadcast on Fox the preceding day. Nashville‑Atlanta also attracted 587,000 viewers on Fox, highlighting a comparable audience size.
Unlike MLS, which streams every game exclusively through Apple TV, the USL’s newest media rights agreement secures over‑the‑air slots on CBS and cable placements on ESPN and CBS Sports Network, giving the league a broader traditional broadcast footprint.
The league has announced plans to launch ‘USL Premier’ in 2028, a division that will feature promotion and relegation from the USL Championship and will directly contest MLS’s dominance. The 2025 MLS Cup drew 994,000 viewers on Fox and Fox Deportes, a benchmark the USL hopes to approach as it builds its own viewership base.
Momentum generated by the World Cup appears to be translating into concrete growth strategies. To truly compete with MLS, the USL will need to sustain these audience gains, expand broadcast partnerships, and deliver compelling storylines that attract both casual fans and long‑time supporters.