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Polymarket has struck a multi-year partnership with Major League Soccer (MLS), giving the crypto prediction platform an official route into one of the biggest football leagues in North America, and another high-profile sports badge as regulators and lawmakers keep arguing over whether these products are “markets” or just sports betting with different paperwork.
MLS said the partnership talks started in mid-2025 and that it sees the arrangement as a way to get closer to activity that’s already happening on prediction platforms, rather than pretend it isn’t there. Chris Schlosser, MLS senior vice president of emerging ventures, told reports Polymarket (and similar platforms) already list markets on MLS, so MLS wants visibility and guardrails around that trading.
“We really looked at it and said, well, if we want to ensure the integrity of our sport, of our competition, we really need to lean in and figure out how best to partner with them,” Schlosser said, comparing the approach to integrity work MLS already does around sports betting.
What the MLS x Polymarket partnership actually covers
Under the deal, Polymarket becomes an official partner of the MLS, the MLS All-Star Game, MLS Cup, and the Leagues Cup, with plans for “fan experiences” and content across MLS digital channels. Fans should expect prediction-market prompts and “here’s what the market thinks” style content placed alongside highlights, score updates, and match coverage.
MLS is also acknowledges regulatory matters and affirm plans to make integrity controls a better part of the arrangement. Trading activity linked to MLS and Leagues Cup markets will be monitored by third-party integrity firms, including IC360 and Sportradar, and people who could plausibly have inside information (players, referees, owners, and league/club staff) will be banned from trading those markets.
Right now, prediction markets are attractive to leagues
Prediction markets like Polymarket and rival Kalshi let users trade “yes/no” contracts on outcomes, including sports. The companies insist they operate more like financial exchanges than sportsbooks, which changes who regulates them and where they can operate.
MLS is betting that prediction-market content can work comfortably with stats, highlights, and table standings, without facing any legal complication.
Also, MLS leadership think that prediction markets can be accessed nationwide, including in states such as California and Texas where traditional sports betting is still not legal. Schlosser called that reach “intriguing” as a way to engage fans who otherwise can’t use regulated sportsbooks locally.
Sports leagues are betting that “markets” are here to stay
In November 2025, TKO announced a multi-year deal naming Polymarket the official and exclusive prediction market partner of UFC (and Zuffa Boxing). MLS is now the latest major league to decide that prediction markets aren’t going away, and it likely won’t be the last if engagement numbers look good.
However, prediction markets still sit in a weird place in the US. They’re often framed as commodities-style event contracts, not traditional sports betting, but they keep surfacing in national conversations even when state regulators are skeptical.
If courts or regulators decide prediction markets offering sports contracts must be treated like sportsbooks, leagues could end up with partners that can’t operate as widely as promised, or that face sudden enforcement action in key states.
Source: MLS Soccer
