FIFA's North American Gold Rush Reveals Football's New Power Play

FIFA vice-president Victor Montagliani believes Major League Soccer will overtake the Premier League as the world's biggest football league, a claim that reveals more about FIFA's revenue ambitions than sporting reality.

The Canadian's bold prediction comes as FIFA defends tripled ticket prices for the 2026 World Cup, exposing the tension between promises of football's North American "cultural revolution" and the reality of pricing out ordinary fans.

The audacious claim: How MLS plans to dethrone the Premier League

Montagliani's vision rests on what he calls an inevitable "cultural revolution" in North American football following the 2026 World Cup.

I think the legacy here will be the cultural revolution of the game in North America, where we no longer think of it as a global sport that we're not part of, where it's a European thing.

The Concacaf president believes MLS has the ingredients to become "the second-biggest league in the world. Maybe even the first."

The American exceptionalism argument

His confidence stems from a uniquely American trait that he witnessed growing up in Canada.

I've never known anything that our friends from the south do where they want to be number eight in the world, or number 10 in the world. Their attitude is we want to be the best in the world. There's nothing stopping them trying to be the best league in the world.

Montagliani points to several factors already in place:

• World-class infrastructure: "The customer experience of an MLS stadium is outstanding"
• Elite training facilities that match or exceed European standards
• International ownership groups with deep pockets and global connections
• The Messi effect: Lionel Messi's arrival has transformed perceptions of MLS quality

The missing pieces

Despite the optimism, Montagliani acknowledges crucial gaps remain.

All that's missing is a few more star players, a higher salary cap, those sort of things. There's only one Messi, but when you have a proliferation of that level of player across 30 teams the sky is the limit.

The transformation he describes extends beyond MLS. Canada, which lacked a professional league eight years ago, now sees its clubs "selling players to European Champions League teams and competing in the Concacaf Champions Cup."

Follow the money: Why FIFA's pricing strategy reveals their true priorities

Montagliani's defence of the controversial World Cup pricing strategy exposes FIFA's real agenda: maximising revenue from wealthy North American markets.

The 2026 tournament is expected to generate $13 billion in revenue, with ticket prices triple those of previous World Cups. Many matches haven't sold out despite the sport's growing popularity.

The peak earning justification

Montagliani frames the pricing as a once-in-a-generation opportunity.

This must be the biggest global event that's ever taken place in terms of the size and scope. From every metric that I've heard, it's the biggest sporting event in the history of the world.

He argues FIFA has a "fiduciary duty" to maximise revenue for its members, claiming "100% of which goes back into football." The implication is clear: North America represents peak earning potential.

We'll be back in Europe in four years' time, which won't be the same. It'll be great, but it's just a different reality of economics. I'm sure the ticket prices will be lower.

The expansion agenda

Beyond ticket prices, Montagliani reveals FIFA's broader revenue growth strategy:

• Supporting expansion of the Club World Cup to 48 teams to "raise standards and drive revenue growth"
• Identifying the Women's World Cup as "the next frontier" for revenue generation
• Resisting calls to expand the men's World Cup to 64 teams, though notably not ruling it out entirely

This focus on maximising North American revenue while claiming it benefits global football reveals the fundamental contradiction in FIFA's messaging.

Reality check: The enormous gap MLS must close to rival Europe

The numbers tell a starkly different story from Montagliani's optimistic projections.

The Premier League generates over $7 billion annually compared to MLS's $2 billion. This 3.5x revenue gap reflects deeper structural differences that infrastructure alone cannot overcome.

The quality chasm

MLS currently ranks well below Europe's top five leagues in sporting quality. The league's designated player rule allows for occasional superstars like Messi, but the overall talent level remains far behind.

European clubs benefit from:

• Centuries of football culture driving youth development and fan engagement
• Champions League revenue that dwarfs any domestic competition
• Global broadcasting deals built over decades of dominance
• Transfer market power that allows them to cherry-pick global talent

The cultural revolution question

Montagliani's vision depends on football becoming truly embedded in North American culture. While participation has grown dramatically, football still competes with established sports for attention and revenue.

The 2026 World Cup may accelerate this process, but transforming a sporting culture takes generations, not tournaments. Even with American ambition and investment, closing a $5 billion revenue gap requires more than optimism.

What happens next

The 2026 World Cup will test whether FIFA's North American gamble pays off. If ticket sales remain sluggish despite the sport's growth, it may signal that FIFA has overplayed its hand on pricing.

For MLS, the tournament represents a crucial opportunity to showcase its progress and attract new investment. Whether that translates into challenging European dominance remains highly doubtful, but the league's trajectory will accelerate regardless.

Montagliani himself may play a larger role in football's future, leaving the door open to running for FIFA president in 2031. His vision of North American football supremacy may be unrealistic, but it perfectly captures FIFA's priorities: revenue first, with grand promises to justify the cost.