“NWSL will be bigger than MLS in 10 years,” fervently claimed Alexis Ohanian, owner of Angel City. Making such a bold statement about the women’s game at the expense of the men’s game in America’s domestic scene wasn’t something many would have expected the husband of Serena Williams to be right about. But what if we told you that this prediction came true sooner than expected? Well, thank Lionel Messi in a way, if you’re on team NWSL.

That’s because, in terms of the 2024 US Soccer League finals viewership, the women’s league outperformed the men’s league. And by “outperformed,” we mean far better than anyone could have actually anticipated. To set the scene, let’s talk about the recent championship finals of both leagues.

Firstly, in MLS, although Messi’s Inter Miami secured the shield with a historic 74-point win, the Herons failed to make it to the cup final, with LA Galaxy and NY Red Bulls somehow making the cut. As the Los Angeles-based club secured the MLS Championship with a 2-1 win, it garnered a viewership of over 427K on its prime broadcaster, Fox Sports.

Meanwhile, in the NWSL, Orlando Pride, who secured the shield first, eventually faced the runner-up of the regular season, Washington Spirit, in the championship final. As the Florida-based club secured their second trophy with a narrow win over the Washington D.C.-based side, the numbers… keep the drums rolling… managed to garner a viewership of a whopping 967K on its main broadcaster, CBS.

Comparing the 427K Fox viewership of MLS with the 967K CBS viewership, it’s clear that the women’s league final was viewed by 126% more people than the men’s league final. This undoubtedly makes the NWSL, led by Commissioner Jessica Berman, far superior to the Commissioner Don Garber-led MLS.

While it is indeed a remarkable achievement for the women’s league, part of skepticism arises over the absence of Lionel Messi and Inter Miami in the finals. Heavily favored as a team to win the MLS Championship, had they been there in the place of the LA Galaxy or NY Red Bulls, then surely the viewership would surely have favored the men’s league.

Then again, that wasn’t the case as the NWSL basks in the glory of dominating over the MLS. In fact, there’s another reason for you to hear why it may remain the case in the long run!

Has the NWSL set itself on a path to permanently eclipse MLS?

Before we answer this question, consider what Alexis Ohanian had earlier expressed about the women’s game. In an episode of the Seven Seven Six podcast, he discussed how the NWSL surpasses MLS, casually mentioning that his NWSL club, Angel City, has been generating over $31 million each season. Ohanian emphasized on the podcast that “all of the European leagues are superior to [MLS].” 

While the host agreed, stating that European leagues are “100%” better than MLS, Ohanian responded, “Can that change in the next ten years? I do not think so.” He added, “That is why I think the NWSL will be bigger than MLS in 10 years because we can tell a story of excellence in women’s football in America.” Interesting. But why just insist on sharing the narrative of excellence solely of the women’s game?

Well, one doesn’t have to state the obvious but the US has been the Mecca of women’s soccer over the years. Be it the record 4x World titles and 5x gold Olympics on the international front or NWSL getting a $240 million broadcasting deal (however, less to what Apple-MLS deal worth $2 billion) and ever-growing franchises, it is obvious that all the US has right now is to flex the impeccable growth of the women’s league, despite their desperate efforts to see similar success in the men’s side as well.

Then again, hope remains for the MLS to capitalize on the best of what they have, mainly, the presence of someone like Lionel Messi!

What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments.