TThe “Lionel Messi effect” in the United States is once again becoming evident. The truth is, the Major League Soccer season started less than a month ago, on February 21st, and yet it’s already achieved impressive numbers, all thanks to Inter Miami’s captain.
The truth is, no fan would want to miss the chance to see Leo play, especially now that he’s defending his MLS title. That’s why the attendance for his games rivals and even exceeds the NFL’s Super Bowl.
Messi, equivalent to the Super Bowl
In their first match, Inter Miami faced Los Angeles FC (losing 3-0) and Orlando City (winning 2-4). In this game against DC United, he had an impact on the scoring, moving just one goal away from reaching 900 goals in all competitions (899 goals), and led his team to a 2-1 win for the second time this year.
Beyond his athletic performance, Messi has achieved something few players can boast: a fan base larger than the NFL’s. In two of those three games this season, Leo was able to draw more fans in person than last year’s Super Bowl in Santa Clara, where the New England Patriots lost 13-29 to the Seattle Seahawks and Bad Bunny had everyone dancing during the halftime show.
The first game, against LAFC, was played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. There, 75,673 fans watched the season opener. According to TUDN, Inter Miami played DC United at M&T Bank Stadium this Saturday in front of 72,026 fans in the stands. Therefore, both games exceeded the attendance for Super Bowl LX, which drew 70,823 people.
However, if we continue this dynamic and move to spectators watching games on TV or streaming, the situation is reversed. While the Super Bowl drew more than 120 million viewers in the U.S. alone, MLS games typically have fewer than a few million viewers, rather than hundreds of millions. In other words, while there may be more people in the stadium for the particular game Messi is playing in, the Super Bowl is much larger in terms of global audience.
Meanwhile, Inter Miami CF won the 2025 MLS and qualified for the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup. They will now face Nashville SC in the round of 16 at Geodis Park.
