Polymarket Scores Exclusive MLS Partnership, Revolutionizing Fan Engagement with Prediction Markets
Forget passive spectating—the future of fandom is a financial stake. Polymarket just landed the exclusive deal to weave its prediction markets directly into Major League Soccer's fan experience. This isn't just another sponsorship; it's a fundamental rewrite of the playbook.
The Bet on Engagement
MLS isn't buying ads. It's buying a mechanism. By integrating Polymarket's platform, the league transforms every match into a live, interactive marketplace. Fans won't just watch a striker take a penalty—they'll have skin in the game on whether he scores. It turns casual viewership into vested interest, leveraging that most primal of human motivators: the chance to be right (and profit from it).
Cutting Out the Middleman
Traditional sports betting requires layers of licensed operators, geographic restrictions, and clunky interfaces. Polymarket's crypto-native model bypasses the gatekeepers. It offers global, permissionless access on-chain—a frictionless experience that legacy sportsbooks can't match. The league gets deeper engagement metrics; fans get a seamless, borderless product. Everyone wins, except the incumbent bookies watching their moat evaporate.
A New Play for Mainstream Adoption
This partnership is a masterclass in real-world utility. Crypto skeptics often ask, 'What's it for?' Here's the answer: for making the games you love more thrilling. MLS, with its younger, tech-forward demographic, is the perfect testing ground. Success here provides a blueprint for every other major league—a Trojan horse for decentralized finance disguised as a fan engagement tool. It's the kind of move that makes TradFi sports execs look like they're still using a flip phone.
The final whistle? This deal proves prediction markets are more than a niche crypto experiment. They're a powerful engagement engine, and Polymarket just secured exclusive rights to plug it into a major American sports institution. The beautiful game just got a lot more interesting—and profitable—for those willing to play the market. Just remember, in the grand stadium of finance, the house always wins... until a decentralized protocol changes the rules of the game.
MLS teams with Polymarket to enhance fan engagement
Soccer United Marketing (SUM), the commercial arm of Major League Soccer (MLS), announced that it will collaborate with Polymarket to create innovative fan experiences across MLS digital platforms, with an emphasis on improving the live match experience and second-screen engagement. These initiatives aim to bring fans closer to the game through creative digital content on MLS and Leagues Cup platforms that capture fans’ collective sentiments in real time during pivotal moments.
Shayne Coplan, Founder and CEO of Polymarket, said that fans are seeking new ways to get more involved in the game as soccer’s fan base in the U.S. continues to expand and evolve. He went on to say that, by collaborating with MLS and Leagues Cup, Polymarket will be able to reveal collective emotion in real time regarding significant events, games, and season-long narratives, providing fans with a more dynamic, data-driven approach to watching the game and connecting with the most popular sport in the world.
“As MLS continues to grow, innovation remains central to how we engage fans and evolve the league. 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.”
–Gary Stevenson, MLS Deputy Commissioner and President of Soccer United Marketing.
This new licensing deal coincides with a rush of license agreements for the top prediction markets, Polymarket and Kalshi, which are now providing their data to search engines, media companies, and sports leagues.
Prediction markets expand partnerships with specific teams and sports leagues
Kalshi and Polymarket have agreements with specific teams and sports leagues. On January 8 this year, Madison Square Garden Sports Corp announced a new partnership with prediction market Polymarket, naming the platform as the official prediction market partner of the New York Rangers.
Polymarket will be featured throughout Rangers games at Madison Square Garden as the team’s exclusive prediction markets partner. The partnership includes LED signage, on-ice competitions, concourse activations, and digitally upgraded dasherboard signage during locally and nationally televised Rangers games. During the 2025–2026 season, Polymarket will serve as the presenting partner for one of the Rangers’ Centennial Theme Nights.
In a separate report on October 22 of last year, the National Hockey League (NHL) negotiated a historic multi-year U.S. agreement with Polymarket and Kalshi, designating them as the NHL’s official prediction market partners.
NHL revealed that under the partnership, the two platforms will be able to use NHL marks, emblems, and official designations on their platforms and products, as well as access to NHL private data. Additionally, brokers and merchants of Polymarket and Kalshi will be able to distinguish the items they offer by using NHL marks and logos.
“As prediction markets continue to evolve at a rapid pace, partnering with the two market leaders, Kalshi and Polymarket, provides a tremendous opportunity for the broadest fan engagement during the NHL season.”
–Keith Wachtel, President, NHL Business.
He also acknowledged that Polymaket and Kalshi are ideal partners as prediction markets continue to grow.
Beyond traditional team sports, Prediction markets are becoming more popular in combat sports as well. In November of last year, Polymarket signed a long-term, comprehensive collaboration with TKO Group Holdings, the parent company of Zuffa Boxing and the UFC.
The smartest crypto minds already read our newsletter. Want in? Join them.
