Promotion and relegation has long been part of the conversation around building a true soccer pyramid in the United States, but without strong and unified broadcast revenue, it simply cannot happen. As Major League Soccer continues to expand, the possibility of pro/rel becomes more realistic, but only if TV partners are fully on board.
Major League Soccer is entering a new phase in its history, and once again, television is at the center of it. The move to a European-style calendar, which is designed to align with the international transfer market and avoid competing with NFL and MLB playoffs, is ultimately about maximizing visibility and broadcast value. The league is trying to grow its audience for marquee games while appealing to both casual viewers and dedicated soccer fans.
MLS has taken a massive step toward this aligned calendar, slated to begin in July 2027. Before that, the league will play a short transitional season, and then continue forward under the current Apple TV deal, which while lucrative, has been clumsy at times. This partnership will be crucial, not only in expanding the league’s reach but also in shaping its long-term structure. The goal is clear: build a product that television audiences want to watch, especially as Lionel Messi enters the final years of his career.
Expansion is another piece of the puzzle, and again, television plays a role. MLS, while still without a fixed timeline, could grow beyond 30 teams, with cities like Detroit, Phoenix, Las Vegas, and Sacramento in the mix. Each new market is not just a soccer decision, but a media one: can it deliver viewership, relevance, and value to broadcasters?
One or more of these cities might also serve as a destination for current teams rumored to move like the Vancouver Whitecaps as well. The reality is that MLS has significant room to grow, but growth without television value is meaningless. Soccer has found a niche audience in many markets, and there may be room for 10 more teams, but only if those teams contribute to a stronger national broadcast product.
Which finally brings us to the long-debated topic: promotion and relegation. And once again, the question is not just sporting — it is financial, and more specifically, media-driven.
If MLS were to implement a pro/rel system, the league would first need to reach around 40 teams. From a sporting perspective, this is achievable. From a television perspective, it is essential.
A 40-team MLS is not unrealistic within the next 10 to 15 years. With that number, dividing the league into two tiers becomes structurally possible. But structure alone is not enough; the league must ensure that both tiers hold value for broadcasters.
To get owners on board, the argument cannot just be about competition, it must be about maintaining and growing television revenue.
Everything about promotion and relegation in MLS depends on television. League executives must convince broadcast partners across linear TV, streaming, and digital platforms that even with pro/rel, MLS remains one unified product.
This means that a “relegated” team would still receive equal television revenue. By protecting clubs financially through shared broadcast income, relegation becomes a sporting consequence rather than a financial disaster.
This is the only realistic way to gain owner support. Without guaranteed media revenue, no ownership group would accept the risk of relegation. With it, the conversation changes entirely.
MLS’s single-entity structure becomes an advantage here. A single, unified broadcast deal covering both MLS 1 and MLS 2, packaged together and sold as one product, would allow the league to distribute revenue evenly while using pro/rel as a storytelling tool.
In this sense, MLS would go further than leagues in England, Germany, or France. While those leagues share some revenue across divisions, MLS could fully integrate both tiers into one media ecosystem.
If fans, owners, and, most importantly, broadcasters support pro/rel, MLS could move forward once it reaches 40 teams.
The league could announce a transition period, after which it splits into MLS 1 and MLS 2, with each league containing 20 teams. From a television standpoint, this creates a compelling, high-stakes product across both divisions.
MLS could initially adopt a system inspired by leagues in Mexico and Argentina, using multi-year performance averages to determine placement between divisions. This would create long-term narratives, giving broadcasters consistent storylines to promote.
If MLS announces a three-year pathway to get to promotion and relegation, then the league would have a compelling story for its regular season with 40 teams for the next three years, where every point matters, and every game matters.
Once that period is over then the league can adopt a system where teams ranked 1–18 over a three-year period could remain in the top division, teams ranked 23–40 could drop, and teams ranked 19–22 could compete in a playoff for the final spots. Every match over those seasons would carry weight, increasing viewership value.
Once the system is established and the league is fully aligned with the international calendar, MLS could transition to a more traditional format. A 20-team top division, a full round-robin schedule, and playoffs for MLS Cup would provide both familiarity and entertainment value.