With the huge news this week about MLS realigning its annual calendar, another story of fan importance was released at the same time with less notice. Starting in 2026, MLS fans will no longer need to pay a subscription fee to access MLS games. But that doesn’t mean that MLS soccer will be free.
MLS games will now be included in Apple TV subscriptions
Apple acquired the exclusive rights to all MLS games starting with the 2023 season. To watch games, fans needed to purchase a Season Pass, which was either $14.99 per month or $99 per year. Although it was available on the Apple TV platform, you did not need an Apple TV subscription to access MLS games. But if you did have one, the cost of the MLS Season Pass was only $12.99 per month or $79 annually.
But now, Apple has agreed to waive its annual fee, instead moving MLS games to its general subscription product. That means it will be included with every Apple TV subscription … which still costs money.
How much, you ask? Apple TV is $12.99 per month, or $99 per year.
This means that if you were previously buying an MLS Season Pass, you can now use the same money to purchase a full Apple TV subscription, which will include all MLS games, as well as all other content on Apple TV. That sounds like a great deal, even if these games haven’t really become “free”.
Season ticket holders will win big with this new deal
Why? Because all season ticket holders for every MLS team will be given a free annual subscription to Apple TV, which will replace the free MLS Season Pass subscription that they received since the league moved to Apple in 2023.
This means that if you are a season ticket holder for an MLS team and currently pay for Apple TV, you can cancel your subscription and use this free alternative instead. So season ticket holders are definitely getting a free perk with this new deal.
How this will benefit fans, MLS, and Apple
We must say, this is an extremely rare, fan-friendly price rollback in an era when fans are being asked to pay more and more to watch their favorite teams. Apple paid $2.5 billion over ten years to acquire the rights to all MLS games, with the expectation that MLS Season Pass subscription fees would offset that investment.
However, given MLS’s need for more viewers and the challenge of getting fans to spend $100/year to subscribe, Apple apparently decided that it was better to drive subscriptions to their core content product rather than separate it from their MLS content.
So, fans are now getting more entertainment for a lower price. Season ticket holders are essentially getting more entertainment for free (if they have already subscribed to Apple TV). Apple TV aims to increase the number of subscribers to its main product, while MLS seeks to draw more viewers to its games. It’s a very rare win-win-win-win.
(Note: there’s a late report that the deal between MLS and Apple has been shortened and will now end after 2029).
Next Steps
There’s no information yet about when MLS fans can activate their free Apple TV subscription, but we expect it will be available in advance of the 2026 season. We will keep you posted as news is released.
However, for those MLS season ticket holders who already have Apple TV, we suggest not renewing your subscription for a full-year term if it is set to expire before March, as you’ll be able to activate your free subscription by then.
