MLS boosts its attendance on opening day, as soccer grows in the U.S.
MLS breaks attendance records on the opening weekend of the new season as both Charlotte and Atlanta welcome over 67,000 fans – more than the average crowd at 13 NFL teams!
- Charlotte FC had 69,345 fans at its game, while 67,538 fans showed up in Atlanta
- It’s the first time ever that MLS has had multiple 65,000+ games on the same day
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The new MLS season is off to a bright start with attendances through the roof on opening day, with some stadiums experiencing a better turnout than several NFL venues on average.
On Saturday, Charlotte FC had 69,345 fans at its home opener in a 1-0 loss against the New England Revolution, while Atlanta United’s dramatic 2-1 win against the San Jose Earthquakes wasn’t far behind with 67,538 supporters watching from the stands of Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
That’s close to the NFL’s per game attendance of 69,442 last year and it’s the first time that MLS has had multiple 65,000+ games on the same day, according to the league’s Twitter account.
In fact, the two attendances over 65,000 were better than the average attendances of 13 separate NFL teams, with the likes of the Detroit Lions, Las Vegas Raiders, Chicago Bears and Washington Commanders all well below.
Those four teams pile up last in the league for average attendance per game, sitting far below 64,000, according to ESPN.
On Saturday, Charlotte FC had 69,345 fans at its home opener – a 1-0 loss against New England
Atlanta United’s dramatic 2-1 win against San Jose had 67,538 fans at Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Meanwhile, attendance for Atlanta’s first MLS game of 2023 fared better than the average turnout at Cleveland Browns games, which was 67,431 after 17 regular-season games last season.
The Browns rank 20th out of 32 in the NFL for attendance, meaning more people showed up to Saturday’s game in Georgia than the average crowd at games played by the Minnesota Vikings (66,687), Jacksonville Jaguars (66,459) and Pittsburgh Steelers (66,280).
The Cincinnati Bengals, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts and Arizona Cardinals also rank below the Browns in attendance.
Concurrently, the turnout at Charlotte FC’s home loss to the Revolution (at Bank of America Stadium on Saturday) would line up in the top half of teams with the best average attendance record in the NFL (14th).
Attendance for Atlanta’s MLS opener would rank 20th of 32 in the NFL for average attendance
There were certainly fireworks on the opening weekend of the new MLS season
That includes above teams like the Baltimore Ravens (70,589), L.A. Chargers (69,955) and the Philadelphia Eagles.
However, the game’s attendance wouldn’t surpass the average number of fans who show up to Carolina Panthers games, who also play at Bank of American Stadium.
Last season, 71,351 fans would turn up on average to watch the blue, black and silver play.
That’s 2,006 more fans than the total amount who watched ‘The Crown’ kick off its new MLS campaign over the weekend.
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