Major League Soccer Inks Deal With Prediction Giant Polymarket
Posted on: January 26, 2026, 03:30h.
Last updated on: January 26, 2026, 03:32h.
- New deal sees Polymarket become official prediction market partner of MLS
- Polymarket has similar deals with UFC and NHL
- MLS season starts Feb. 22
Soccer United Marketing, the commercial arm of Major League Soccer (MLS), has teamed up with Polymarket in a multi-year deal, meaning soccer fans can now bet on outcomes.
In a statement, MLS announced that Polymarket is an official partner of MLS and an official partner of Leagues Cup in the United States. Polymarket will now serve as the official and exclusive prediction market partner of MLS, MLS All-Star Game, MLS Cup and Leagues Cup.
More Engagement for Fans
Both sides are going to work together to tap into fan sentiment around key moments during MLS matches, including building new experiences across MLS digital platforms allowing fans to engage more, while tapping into the burgeoning popularity of prediction markets.
Last November, TKO, the company behind UFC and Zuffa Boxing, announced a similar deal with Polymarket, and Saturday night during UFC 324 in Las Vegas, that partnership was on display.
Prediction Markets: Multi-Year Deal
Those tuned into the broadcast on Paramount+ saw a big Polymarket presence, including seeing their television screen split during key moments of the Paddy Pimblett and Justin Gaethje interim lightweight title bout, for example, with huge fluctuations in share prices of outcomes of the bout. Pimblett came into the Octagon as the favourite, then Gaethje took over the five-round fight, with devastating punches, bloodying up Pimblett and eventually winning in a unanimous decision. Pimblett even walked into the Octagon before the fighter introductions wearing a diamond Polymarket necklace.
Polymarket also has a partnership with the NHL, announced last October. No partnerships yet with NFL, MLB or NBA.
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,” said Shayne Coplan, Founder and CEO of Polymarket. “Through our partnership with MLS and Leagues Cup, we can surface real-time collective sentiment around key moments, matches, and season-long storylines, giving fans a more interactive, data-driven way to experience the game and engage with the world’s most popular sport.”
Guardrails to Protect Integrity of the Sport
MLS said in a statement today that there will be safeguards in place to protect the integrity of league matches, including independent monitoring or trading activities.
“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. “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.”
The new MLS season gets started on Feb. 22.
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