'Innovation remains central to how we engage fans' - MLS enters prediction market space with Polymarket partnership

Beyond the sponsorship, the deal marks a structural shift in how MLS plans to engage with prediction markets. Polymarket will become the league’s first Authorized Prediction Market (APM) - a newly created designation that gives MLS greater control over the types of prediction products tied to its competitions.

“As MLS continues to grow, innovation remains central to how we engage fans and evolve the league,” said Gary Stevenson, MLS Deputy Commissioner and President of Soccer United Marketing in a statement. “Partnering with Polymarket allows us to integrate prediction markets as a new fan engagement format and position MLS as an early leader among global soccer properties.”

Under the agreement, Polymarket will serve as the Official and Exclusive Prediction Market Partner of MLS, the MLS All-Star Game, MLS Cup presented by Audi, and Leagues Cup, positioning the league among the first major soccer properties to formally integrate prediction-based insights into its digital ecosystem.

MLS and Polymarket plan to collaborate on prediction-driven fan experiences across league platforms, with a focus on live match viewing and second-screen engagement. Rather than traditional wagering, the league says the emphasis will be on markets that reflect real-time collective fan sentiment around matches, tournaments, and season-long storylines.

“As soccer’s audience continues to grow and evolve in the U.S., fans are looking for new ways to engage more deeply with the game,” Polymarket founder and CEO Shayne Coplan said. “This partnership allows us to surface real-time sentiment around key moments and outcomes in a more interactive, data-driven way.”

From MLS’s perspective, the partnership is about more than innovation - it’s about control.

“Things like approval on which markets will be listed; use of official data; third-party integrity monitoring from reputable companies like IC360 or Sportradar; support for investigations should we ever need it; and support for our restricted individuals list, so staff, players, reps, owners, and club staff can’t trade on the sport of soccer,” Chris Schlosser, the league’s SVP of Emerging Ventures, told Sportico. “We think that provides a robust set of integrity." 

As part of the APM framework, MLS will retain approval over which prediction markets are offered and how they are structured. League officials have signaled a preference for aggregate or season-long markets, while steering away from single-game, player-specific outcomes that could raise integrity concerns.

The agreement also includes independent monitoring of trading activity, collaboration on market design, and restrictions preventing players, club staff, owners, and other league-affiliated individuals from participating in soccer-related markets.

The move comes as leagues across North America grapple with the rapid expansion of betting-adjacent products. Prediction markets, which operate under federal oversight rather than state sportsbook regulation, have drawn scrutiny over whether integrity safeguards keep pace with their growth. MLS in the past has dealt with its own issues with gambling. Felipe Hernandez saw his contract with Sporting KC terminated in 2024 as a result of violating the league's gambling policy. 

By formalizing its relationship with Polymarket and creating a dedicated APM category, MLS is aiming to be more proactive with some of those concerns.

The deal comes at a moment of sustained momentum for soccer in North America, with the 2026 FIFA World Cup set to take place in the region. MLS and Leagues Cup continue to expand their visibility and fan reach as the sport enters a new phase of growth in the United States and Canada.

The 2026 MLS season will kick off on Feb. 21 with a full slate of matches, highlighted by Los Angeles Football Club hosting MLS Cup champions Inter Miami CF at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.