MLS Enlists Messi, Beckham and a Roster of Icons for Its Biggest Push Yet

Major League Soccer isn't waiting for World Cup fever to cool off before making its move.

The league has launched "Thanks World, We'll Take It From Here," the largest coordinated marketing campaign in MLS history.

Timed to the season's return on July 16 and 17, the effort links the tournament's global attention to the weekly matches, local rivalries and in-stadium experiences that define MLS play.

"At a defining moment for soccer in North America, MLS is turning global excitement into lasting engagement and connection," said Camilo Durana, executive VP and chief business officer at MLS.

"As the World Cup inspires new fans, our clubs and communities are ready to welcome them as the season resumes and the next chapter of their soccer journey begins with MLS."

Built by Ogilvy, the league's agency of record, the national spot features a mix of club owners and current players, including:

• Beckham (Inter Miami CF)
• McConaughey (Austin FC)
• Magic Johnson (LAFC)
• Durant (Philadelphia Union)

This lineup will be accompanied by players like Lionel Messi, Son Heung-Min, Antoine Griezmann, and Timo Werner.

It's celebrity marketing that's expected of a league like MLS, but rarely at this scale or with this much World Cup tailwind behind it.

The Rollout Behind the Roster

The ad starts with an MLS-branded soccer ball flying towards a stadium, stopped by a lone Messi standing in the middle of the pitch. 

"Hey Leo, can we kick it?" Charlotte FC left-back Tim Ream asks the football legend, as he and other MLS players start showing up on the pitch one by one. 

Son Heung-Min arrives at the stadium in a taxi, while others arrive by plane. 

Durant makes a surprise cameo by the magazine stands, singing lyrics to "Can I Kick It?" by A Tribe Called Quest together with Matthew McConaughey. 

The spot culminates in a festival-like celebration inside the now-packed stadium, with Messi giving Beckham the go-signal to launch the colorful fireworks. 

"Thanks world, we'll take it from here," the screen writes, as the spot ends. 

Apart from the national spot, 15 MLS clubs built their own localized versions for their markets, tied into Soccer Celebrations and fan viewing events happening across all 30 clubs.

When the season resumes, every club will run welcome offers for new fans, with 22 clubs offering "First Match On Us" tickets to first-time attendees.

The campaign also enters musical territory.

MLS dropped an Amazon Music Original cover of "Can I Kick It?", produced by DJ Premier with new vocals from Samara Cyn in partnership with Cornerstone and The FADER.

It debuts during FOX's coverage of the World Cup semifinals and final before expanding to Apple TV, backed by a media buy spanning multiple placements.

MLS isn't the only brand riding this exact wave and taking this star-studded approach.

Lay's recently tapped Messi, Beckham, Thierry Henry and Steve Carell for "The Epic Watch Party," a global World Cup tie-in built around surprise fan encounters.

Where Lay's campaign is built for the World Cup, MLS is using many of the same faces for what comes after it, trying to convert tournament attention into the succeeding.

Regardless, both ride on the idea that big names still move fans, even when the celebrities in question have done similar stunts before.

MLS's World Cup Handoff Strategy

Leagues can still stake a claim in the tournament's attention cycle, and MLS is proving that.

It's using star power to pull fans out of the tournament and into its own ecosystem.

Apart from being a roster showcase, the effort is really a retention play dressed up as a highlight reel.

MLS says its 2025 season already delivered a weekly average of 3.7 million gross live viewers across streaming and linear platforms.

This comes alongside11.2 million fans in stadiums and 13.7 billion social impressions across league and club accounts.

All before a single ball has been kicked in this campaign's window.

If you're a marketer eyeing a similar handoff strategy, a few lessons stand out:

• Use a real calendar moment, not just a big name: MLS timed this to the exact week fans are most primed to keep watching soccer.
• Localize the follow-through: national star power gets attention, but the 15 club-specific campaigns and "First Match On Us" offers are what convert that attention into a ticket sale.
• Don't just show the stars, give fans a next step: the ticket offers and viewing events matter more here than the celebrity lineup itself.

The campaign's biggest asset is the fact that MLS already has 30 stadiums and a full slate of matches ready to receive whatever attention the World Cup sends its way.

Our Take: What Happens When the World Cup Leaves Town?

MLS happens, and it's coming with a bang.

Every four years, we watch the same scramble, with brands and leagues trying to catch whatever's left of the World Cup's attention once it's over.

Most of them fumble it because they treat the tournament like a spotlight to borrow instead of a bridge to build.

What MLS is doing here is making sure there's a stadium seat waiting the moment a new fan wants one.

We'd argue the real test isn't July 16; it's whether someone who bought a "First Match On Us" ticket shows up again in August without a celebrity spot to remind them. T

The roster gets the headline, but the follow-through is the whole campaign.

Brands planning global sports campaigns need creative partners who understand how to connect a brand's role to a fan's experience before the event begins.

Explore the top sports marketing agencies in our directory.