Javier Hernandez, #14 of the Los Angeles Galaxy. takes a shot on goal during a game between New York Red Bulls and Los Angeles Galaxy at Dignity Health Sports Park on in Carson, California, on April 25, 2021.
Michael Janosz | Getty Images
Major League Soccer games are kicking off on Electronic Arts‘ mobile gaming platform.
The top U.S. soccer league is teaming up with the video game company to offer four MLS matches this season via EA Sports FC Mobile.
The first match will be available to be streamed for free to players of the international soccer mobile game on Saturday, May 10. That game will be a rematch of the 2024 final game between the Los Angeles Galaxy and New York Red Bulls. The Galaxy won its sixth MLS Cup in December after beating the Red Bulls.
The second match will be streamed on May 17, while the last two will take place in September, with dates that are yet to be announced. All four games will be simulcast with Apple TV’s MLS Season Pass, which holds the global, exclusive media rights to the soccer league’s games.
Through the partnership, EA FC Mobile players who tune in to watch will get a free one-month trial of MLS Season Pass, and also receive in-game currency.
It will be EA’s first foray into live streaming a game, at a time when live sports attract the biggest audiences across various media platforms. The partnership also comes after a difficult quarter for EA, which it blamed on the underperformance of its games, particularly its soccer franchise, EA Sports FC. EA will report its next quarterly earnings on Tuesday.
Visitors play the EA Sports FC 25 game in front of a placard with England’s midfielder Jude Bellingham at the Electronic Arts booth during the media day at the Gamescom video games trade fair in Cologne, western Germany, on Aug. 21, 2024.
Ina Fassbender | AFP | Getty Images
MLS, which is in its 30th season, has experienced growth across its sponsorship and attendance in recent years, especially since global superstar Lionel Messi joined the league in 2023 and as the U.S. gears up to co-host the 2026 World Cup.
Still, the league falls behind in popularity when compared to other major sports leagues in the U.S.
EA’s soccer video game, which was marketed under FIFA branding until recently, has served as “an entry point for certain fan segments,” said Camilo Durana, executive vice president at MLS.
“We’ve worked hard with EA over the years to bring MLS to life within the game, whether it be through our players or uniforms or stadiums,” said Durana in an interview. “I think we’re always looking for interesting ways and new things to do with our partners.”
He called the four games that will be streamed this season the “initial phase” of the new partnership, adding the parties will see where it goes from here.
“I think we’re excited to try different things, learn and ultimately continue to innovate,” Durana said.
Durana described the league’s media rights partnership with Apple as a launchpad to experiment with various partners, with the goal of leading fans back to the MLS Season Pass platform, which is available through the Apple TV app.
In 2022, the league signed a 10-year media rights deal with Apple. All MLS matches are available through MLS Season Pass, which is offered as a stand-alone subscription, or an add-on to the Apple TV+ streaming service. The cost of MLS Season Pass begins at $12.99 for Apple TV+ subscribers, or $59 for the season, and steps up for those only paying for the soccer games.
Apple does not disclose the number of subscribers to MLS Season Pass. Last year, MLS Commissioner Don Garber told CNBC Sport the number of subscribers was exceeding expectations.
“We have more subscribers than we and Apple thought we would have. We have more people watching our games,” Garber told CNBC Sport in an interview.
In a push to broaden its audience, MLS and Apple expanded access to MLS Season Pass earlier this season. Pay-TV customers of Comcast’s Xfinity and DirecTV can subscribe directly through the providers rather than via Apple. The games are also now available for free to T-Mobile users.
Disclosure: Comcast owns NBCUniversal, the parent company of CNBC.
