For the second consecutive year, Major League Soccer has set new marks for attendance.
Overall, the league average grew more than five percent, coming in at 18,807. This bettered the 2011 mark of 17,844 by nearly 1,000 fans per game.
MLS regular-season attendance in 2012 topped the 6 million mark for the first time ever, with a total of 6,074,729 fans. For the fourth year in a row, it was the Seattle Sounders who led the way, averaging 43,144 fans per game – a league and team record.
Four other clubs averaged more than 20,000 fans per game, another league record. Eight clubs averaged more than 19,000 fans, up from five in 2011.
MLS also finished seventh in global average attendance:
Worldwide soccer attendance figures
Rank |
League |
Average |
1 |
Bundesliga (Germany) |
42,387 |
2 |
Premier League (England) |
35,719 |
3 |
La Liga (Spain) |
28,138 |
4 |
Serie A (Italy) |
23,176 |
5 |
Primera División (Argentina) |
22,491 |
6 |
Liga MX (Mexico) |
21,559 |
7 |
Major League Soccer (USA & Canada) |
18,807 |
8 |
Ligue 1 (France) |
18,731 |
9 |
Chinese Super League (China) |
18,702 |
10 |
Eredivisie (Netherlands) |
18,405 |
