Major League Soccer is completely changing the way its games are streamed on Apple TV starting next season.
First reported by The Athletic, MLS and Apple have quietly agreed to change one of the most controversial pieces of the league’s media strategy: MLS Season Pass will no longer be a separate paywall product after this season. Multiple sources told The Athletic that in 2026, every MLS match will be available to Apple TV subscribers without the separate Season Pass fee, a move that could dramatically increase the league’s reach.
Previously, MLS bundled every match into MLS Season Pass (a separate product requiring an additional subscription), which a growing number of fans said made the league harder to discover. With the Season Pass experiment, die-hard MLS fans had to spend an additional $99 annually or $14.99 monthly fee.
The MLS and Apple partnership was born in 2023, after agreeing to a 10-year streaming partnership that centralized the league’s global streaming rights. This deal, reportedly worth roughly $2.5 billion, led to the creation of MLS Season Pass as the home for every match and more.
In Year 3, Apple and MLS made major changes ahead of the league’s 30th season with the hopes of attracting a larger audience. For the first time, fans with Android devices could watch along on the Apple TV app. Select games were available outside of the paywall (Sunday Night Soccer, special windows, and postseason matches), and Apple increased distribution with DIRECTV and Xfinity. Those games drew larger audiences on average, which likely helped persuade both sides to broaden access.
Though surveys found that many fans were frustrated with the paywall, the deal has centralized production, improved broadcast quality, and offers one global home for matches. MLS leadership publicly defended the Apple partnership as a forward-looking move. MLS commissioner Don Garber addressed the skepticism from critics, stating that they “just don’t get it yet.”
To keep local audiences engaged, several MLS clubs struck deals to show delayed re-airings on local linear channels (tape-delay broadcasts). In a move for international markets, MLS made featured matches available on traditional TV windows. These tactics aimed to restore the casual-fan discovery that regional TV used to provide.
With the MLS move, Apple’s sports strategy continues to evolve. In a major blow, the platform is reportedly losing the rights to Friday Night Baseball next season. However, the streamer crossed the finish line with Formula 1 in an exclusive five-year deal, beginning in 2026. Apple Sports can cross-promote its multiple properties across its broader subscriber base.
Good news for sports fans who want to watch the postseason for North America’s premier soccer league. The 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs are available for free to Apple TV subscribers, so you can stream every matchup and all the high-stakes drama today without paying an extra MLS Season Pass fee.
Credit: The Athletic