With the star power ever increasing in MLS and rivalries developing every year, the top attendance numbers continue to grow as well.
For the third time in the 2026 season, a match surpassed 70,000 supporters, as Inter Miami defeated the Colorado Rapids 3–2 at Empower Field at Mile High, the home of the NFL’s Denver Broncos, on Matchday 8.
The match, which saw Lionel Messi score a brace and set up another goal, clocked in with an attendance of 75,824 fans, ranking second in all-time MLS matches, only behind a 2023 Independence Day El Tráfico Derby between the LA Galaxy and LAFC at Pasadena, California’s famed Rose Bowl.
It also marked the highest attendance for any game featuring Inter Miami or Messi and the highest without LAFC on show, surpassing the 75,673 that were on hand at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for LAFC’s 3–0 win over Inter Miami to open the 2026 MLS regular season.
Outside of the LAFC and Colorado clashes, Inter Miami also played in front of a crowd of 72,026 in the 2026 season, defeating D.C. United at the home of the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens. With those three matches, Inter Miami reached a historic mark as the first MLS team to play in front of more than 71,000 fans at least three times in a single MLS campaign.
While MLS teams have drawn significant numbers in recent years, the addition of Messi in the summer of 2023 has only boosted attendance, as well as the controversial moves many clubs have taken to depart their soccer-specific stadiums for nearby NFL behemoths for matches featuring the diminutive Argentine.
Such attendances dwarf the numbers in Inter Miami’s home venue. Nu Stadium, opened in April 2026, has a capacity of 26,700.
When it comes to the MLS Cup playoffs, Atlanta United holds the top three most-attended games, with crowds of over 73,000 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in the 2018 postseason, and the fourth-ranked game is the Seattle Sounders’ 69,274 fans at the 2019 MLS Cup, where they knocked off Toronto FC for the title.
Yet, things are far from done. With the ever increasing number of stars and the expected boost of soccer popularity in the wake of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, there is a chance that more records are toppled in the near future.
Top 10 Regular Season Attendances in MLS History
| Match | Total Attendance | Year |
|---|---|---|
| LA Galaxy 2–1 LAFC | 82,110 | 2023 |
| Colorado Rapids 2–3 Inter Miami | 75,824 | 2026 |
| LAFC 3–0 Inter Miami | 75,673 | 2026 |
| Charlotte FC 0–1 LA Galaxy | 74,479 | 2022 |
| Sporting Kansas City 2–3 Inter Miami | 72,610 | 2024 |
| Atlanta United 3–0 LA Galaxy | 72,548 | 2019 |
| Atlanta United 1–1 Seattle Sounders | 72,243 | 2018 |
| Atlanta United 3–1 D.C. United | 72,035 | 2018 |
| Atlanta United 2–0 Real Salt Lake | 72,017 | 2018 |
| Atlanta United 4–0 Orlando City | 71,932 | 2018 |
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as The Top 10 Attendances in MLS History: Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami a Major Draw.
