Interest — and investment — are surging for Major League Soccer

The U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team plays Uruguay Monday night in Kansas City, Missouri. They’re aiming to advance to the knockout stage of the hemisphere-wide Copa America tournament.

This comes amid a surge of interest, and investment, in Major League Soccer in the U.S. Soccer has a lot going for it in the U.S. these days. For one: demographics.

“We have the youngest, most diverse audience in all the professional sports leagues that are based in North America,” said Dan Courtemanche, VP at Major League Soccer.

A third of the league’s fans are Latino and most are younger than 45, he said. “And that’s appealing to broadcast partners, corporate sponsors.”

Also appealing? “A gentleman by the name of Lionel Messi,” Courtemanche said — the Argentine superstar joined Miami’s MLS club last year.

The team’s value jumped some 70% to more than $1 billion. League-wide, ticket sales have hit record highs.

As good as Messi’s been for the soccer business, “the 2026 World Cup is 100 times that,” said Kareem Rae, CEO of talent scouting group One Soccer Nation.

The U.S. will co-host the tournament with Mexico and Canada. That could attract investors, Rae said, who might be priced out of the glitzy European leagues.