Streaming the biggest domestic soccer league is getting a lot easier and cheaper. Apple has officially folded MLS Season Pass into its regular Apple TV subscription, meaning every MLS match and related programming will be available to Apple TV subscribers at no extra charge starting with the 2026 season. Apple’s support page says the standalone MLS Season Pass will no longer be offered, and eligible Season Pass subscribers will be moved onto Apple TV automatically.
Reports that Apple would drop the separate Season Pass surfaced in late 2025, with the change framed as an adjustment to Apple and MLS’s partnership going forward. For years, MLS on Apple lived behind an extra paywall for fans who wanted every match. Tossing that extra charge into the main Apple TV offering does three things instantly:
- Increases Discovery: Makes every MLS game more discoverable to casual viewers who already subscribe to Apple TV.
- Helps Retention: Removes friction for new viewers with fewer paywalls and fewer reasons to bail out during a free trial.
- Adds Value: Strengthens Apple TV’s sports value by adding MLS alongside other premium sports content it carries, making the service feel like more of an all-in-one sports home.
What Subscribers Should Know
- No action required: Eligible MLS Season Pass subscribers will be migrated to an Apple TV subscription automatically in early 2026. Apple says the Season Pass subscription will end automatically, and eligible users will receive details ahead of a billing change.
- If you were paying extra for Season Pass, Apple says the new Apple TV subscription price for eligible accounts will be the same or less than what you’ve been paying for Season Pass
- If you’re not an Apple TV subscriber, this change removes a barrier. Buying Apple TV now gives you access to MLS content without the previous add-on.
Looking Back at MLS Season Pass
Back in 2023, Apple and MLS struck a headline-making 10-year multi-billion-dollar streaming agreement. The pact gave the streamer centralized MLS global streaming rights and created MLS Season Pass as the one clean home for every match. With the bold strategy, Apple would produce and deliver a single global feed, but put it behind its own dedicated paywall.
MLS Season Pass launched as a separate add-on product (about $99 per season or roughly $14.99 monthly), aimed squarely at die-hard fans who wanted every game. The move gave MLS unprecedented production quality and a single global platform, but the creation of the paywall made discoverability a challenge for casual viewers.
Over the first few seasons, Apple and MLS made several changes to address these concerns. The pair opened certain marquee games to broader windows, added Android support, and struck distribution deals with operators like DIRECTV and Xfinity to expand reach. Those adjustments were an attempt to restore some of the casual-viewer discovery that traditional linear TV used to provide.
However, not everyone loved the experiment. Polling by Casino.org found deep frustration among fans, with 72% believing the Season Pass price was too expensive. Many said they’d watch more matches if they were on familiar broadcast networks (ESPN/FOX/ABC). Survey data showed a high percentage of fans using unofficial streams or saying they’d opt out rather than pay another subscription.
Meanwhile, public viewership figures showed a notable drop in average match audiences after the move to Apple, which only intensified the debate about whether the tradeoff was worth it. In March 2025, reports began to surface that the streaming experiment didn’t sit well with everyone inside the league. Some MLS general managers and club executives were openly pushing to undo the Apple arrangement and return more games to traditional linear networks, according to interviews with The Athletic. It was reported that one executive even went as far as bluntly warning leadership that the exclusive streaming model “is bad for the fans.” Those voices argued the deal reduced local visibility, hurt casual discovery, and made it harder for clubs and sponsors to reach mainstream U.S. audiences.
Later that August, MLS commissioner Don Garber publicly defended the strategy, telling industry audiences that critics “don’t get it yet” and urging patience. Garber framed the Apple deal as a long-term growth play that fixes structural media problems (scheduling, production quality, global reach) even if ratings and habits take time to catch up. Garber’s overall point was that the partnership was more than one season’s ratings boxscore; it’s a rebuild of how MLS presents itself to the world.
To address the concerns over the league’s discoverability, several clubs and distributors experimented with workarounds. More MLS teams began utilizing tape-delay local replays, occasional broadcast windows through cable partners, and distribution deals that let some marquee matches reach linear viewers. Those stopgaps were clear signs clubs wanted the best of both worlds: Apple’s production and global platform, plus local TV exposure to build fandom.
The tension between premium packaging and mass discoverability was the core story behind the Season Pass era, and now, MLS and Apple are entering a new era. By shedding the add-on paywall, the duo is joining other major sports and streamers who make it easy to casually stumble upon a live event.
The 2026 MLS season begins on February 21, and the league has made a major move to widen its footprint and simplify the fan experience. If you already have Apple TV, congratulations — you can enjoy more soccer for the same (or even less) money. If you didn’t, Apple just made a stronger case to sign up. Either way, the MLS Season Pass era as a separate add‑on has ended, and the game just got way more accessible.