While relations between North America and the Middle East are complex, many nations in both regions maintain cordial diplomatic relations with one another.
For many countries on each side of the equation, professional sports are a key element in how they attempt to project themselves to the rest of the world.
Given its global popularity, it is no surprise that each region has been eager to explore the possibilities offered by soccer since the turn of the 21st century.
Soccer has traditionally been the ‘fifth wheel’ in the North American sports landscape behind American Football, basketball, baseball and ice hockey.
However, the narrative has shifted in recent years, with Major League Soccer (MLS) playing a key role in establishing the sport in the hearts and minds of millions of fans.
The Middle East has historically been categorised as a backwater when it comes to soccer, but the situation has evolved over the past couple of years.
Significant investment in Saudi Arabia has triggered a boom in soccer’s popularity and could potentially shake up the established order in the sport.
The Saudi Pro League (SPL) has been on a mission to ‘disrupt’ soccer by investing significant resources into players from top European leagues.
With that in mind, read on as we look at how MLS and the SPL stack up against each other in three key metrics – salaries, broadcasting and sponsorship.
SPL investment blows MLS out of the water
Saudi Arabia has used its significant financial resources to acquire numerous players from the ‘big five’ leagues in Europe.
Through its Public Investment Fund (PIF), the SPL has been able to lure superstars such as Ronaldo, Riyad Mahrez and Karim Benzema to the Middle East.
By contrast, MLS has a stringent salary cap system in place, which limits what each of its clubs can pay to their players.
However, there are additional mechanisms in place which allow clubs to spend extra funds on selected players outside of the salary budget.
The figures for the top 20 earners in both leagues paint an intriguing picture of how they operate financially.
Major League Soccer
| Team | Position | Annual Salary | |
| Lionel Messi | Inter Miami | Forward | $20,446,667 |
| Lorenzo Insigne | Toronto FC | Forward | $15,400,000 |
| Sergio Busquets | Inter Miami | Midfield | $8,774,996 |
| Miguel Almiron | Atlanta United | Forward | $7,871,000 |
| Hirving Lozano | San Diego FC | Forward | $7,633,333 |
| Federico Bernardeschi | Toronto FC | Forward | $6,295,381 |
| Emil Forsberg | New York Red Bulls | Forward | $6,035,625 |
| Jordi Alba | Inter Miami | Defender | $6,000,000 |
| Ricard Puig Marti | LA Galaxy | Midfield | $5,779,688 |
| Jonathan Bamba | Chicago Fire | Forward | $5,581,806 |
| Hany Mukhtar | Nashville SC | Midfield | $5,311,667 |
| Christian Benteke | DC United | Forward | $4,937,500 |
| Alexey Miranchuk | Atlanta United | Midfield | $4,885,441 |
| Evander da Silva Ferreira | FC Cincinnati | Midfield | $4,736,411 |
| Carles Gil | New England Revolution | Midfield | $4,702,083 |
| Luciano Acosta | FC Dallas | Midfield | $4,296,413 |
| Joseph Paintsil | LA Galaxy | Forward | $4,182,000 |
| Emmanuel Latte Lath | Atlanta United | Forward | $4,030,546 |
| Luis Muriel | Orlando City SC | Forward | $4,003,333 |
| Kevin Denkey | FC Cincinnati | Forward | $3,810,000 |
Saudi Pro League
| Team | Position | Annual Salary | |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Al-Nassr | Forward | €208,400,000 |
| Riyad Mahrez | Al-Ahli | Forward | €52,200,000 |
| Karim Benzema | Al-Ittihad | Forward | €50,000,000 |
| Sadio Mane | Al-Nassr | Forward | €40,000,000 |
| Kalidou Koulibaly | Al-Hilal | Defence | €34,700,000 |
| Ivan Toney | Al-Ahli | Forward | €25,510,000 |
| Sergei Milinkovic-Savic | Al-Hilal | Midfield | €25,000,000 |
| N’Golo Kante | Al-Ittihad | Midfield | €25,000,000 |
| Alexsandar Mitrovic | Al-Hilal | Forward | €25,000,000 |
| Aymeric Laporte | Al-Nassr | Defence | €24,500,000 |
| Marcelo Brozovic | Al-Nassr | Midfield | €24,200,000 |
| Theo Hernandez | Al-Hilal | Defence | €20,410,000 |
| Roberto Firmino | Al-Ahli | Forward | €19,000,000 |
| Malcom | Al-Hilal | Forward | €18,000,000 |
| Ruben Neves | Al-Hilal | Midfield | €17,300,000 |
| Moussa Diaby | Al-Ittihad | Forward | €15,310,000 |
| Joao Cancelo | Al-Hilal | Defence | €15,310,000 |
| Georginio Wijnaldum | Al-Ettifaq | Midfield | $15,000,000 |
| Fabinho | Al-Ittihad | Midfield | €14,000,000 |
| Franck Kessie | Al-Ahli | Midfield | €14,000,000 |
One of the most striking aspects of the salary disparity between the two leagues involves two of the greatest players ever to play the sport.
Lionel Messi (MLS) and Ronaldo (SPL) are the headline acts in their respective leagues, having previously cemented their legacy in European football.
However, salary cap restrictions have limited the salary Inter Miami can pay to Messi. By contrast, Al-Nassr have a free rein to reward Ronaldo as they see fit.
Ronaldo’s deal reportedly includes incentives such as a 15 percent ownership stake in the club and additional bonuses for winning silverware.
Al-Nassr think the prestige of having one of the world’s most famous sports stars on their books is worth the mind-boggling financial outlay.
Critics believe their investment is nothing more than a cynical ploy to ‘sportswash’ their way into the hearts of soccer fans across the globe.
Human rights issues are rarely far from the surface when Saudi involvement in sport is debated, but Ronaldo’s presence is designed to deflect from such problems.
The Portuguese forward’s healthy bank balance will help him come to terms with any doubts he may have had about working in what many people believe is an oppressive nation.
Messi also had the opportunity to move to the SPL after reportedly being offered between $400m and $600m per year to leave European football.
He decided that MLS was a better career move, despite his annual salary seemingly being dwarfed by the riches on offer from the powerbrokers in the SPL.
The reality is somewhat different, with Messi’s deal in Miami including equity in the club and numerous lucrative commercial agreements with major global brands.
The move also offered Messi the chance to be closer to his homeland – a factor which the SPL could not compete with.
While the difference in reported salaries between Ronaldo and Messi is noteworthy, a more intriguing picture emerges when comparing players further down the scale.
Toronto FC’s Lorenzo Insigne is the second highest earner in MLS, but his $15,400,000 salary would only place him 16th on the SPL list.
No other MLS player comes close to the €14,000,000 salary earned by Fabinho (Al-Ittihad) and Frank Kessie (Al-Alhi), who round off the top 20 in the SPL.
MLS leaves SPL trailing in the broadcast stakes
Apple TV holds the rights to stream every MLS match worldwide via a ten-year deal that began in 2023.
Fans can get every live MLS match by subscribing to the MLS streaming service, which is available exclusively through the Apple TV app.
MLS Commissioner Don Garber has confirmed the deal has been successful, with approximately one million views recorded for MLS games on Apple TV every weekend.
FOX Sports also have the rights to broadcast selected MLS games, while some clubs have direct partnerships with television companies to rebroadcast matches.
MLS also has deals with broadcasters in other jurisdictions including TSN and RDS in Canada, SBS in Australia, Dubai TV in the Middle East, TV3 in Spain and Sportdigital in Germany.
Sky Sports has the rights to broadcast MLS games in the United Kingdom, further boosting the profile of soccer in North America.
While MLS has established a significant footprint in overseas markets, the SPL is struggling to garner attention despite its considerable investment in players.
For instance, just 5,000 people tuned in to watch Al-Hilal’s victory over Al-Ittihad earlier this year, and several broadcasters have reported hugely underwhelming numbers.
Sports marketing agency IMG has held international broadcast distribution rights for the last two seasons, and also has a production deal in place to the end of the 2028/29 campaign.
DAZN have the rights to air SPL games in several territories, while Canal+ (France), FOX (US and Caribbean), Tencent (China) and SportyTV (Nigeria and Ghana) also broadcast matches.
However, international interest in the SPL is minimal, with many fans believing the competition will be nothing more than a passing fad.
Major sponsors clamour to jump on the MLS bandwagon
MLS started the 2025 season with a record 36 sponsors in total, including four major brands – Continental, adidas, Apple and Beats – in its global tier.
Procter & Gamble, Coca-Cola, EA Sports, DoorDash, Ticketmaster, and Pernod Ricard are other household names that have strong ties to soccer in North America.
MLS has experienced significant sponsorship growth since Messi joined Miami, as evidenced by a 13 percent increase in league-level sponsorship revenue in 2024.
Many brands have established long-term relationships with MLS, indicating that they are satisfied with the returns on their investment.
While Messi has undoubtedly made the MLS more attractive, the fact that the competition has laid solid foundations cannot be underestimated when it comes to attracting sponsors.
Attendances are on the rise, with the league recording an average of 23,240 fans per match during the regular season.
Linking up with Apple TV does not appear to have a detrimental impact on MLS, highlighting the increasingly influential role that streaming services are playing in professional sports.
With the 2026 World Cup set to be staged in North America, it is not unreasonable to think that MLS will become even more appealing to major sponsors.
Saudi Arabia has recognised the benefits of staging the World Cup, which explains why they pulled out all the stops to host the 2034 edition.
The SPL has assembled an impressive portfolio of commercial partners over the past few years, including Samsung, TikTok and PepsiCo.
However, the league remains overly reliant on PIF, which currently fuels Al-Hilal, Al-Ittihad, Al-Nassr and Al-Ahli.
Some outside investors have jumped on the bandwagon, but more overseas investment is needed if the SPL is ever to achieve its lofty aims.
While MLS may be lagging behind its Saudi counterpart in terms of salary, it is significantly further along the road in terms of its global reputation.
The next few years will determine whether the SPL can become a genuine big-hitter in the football universe or if it will suffer the same fate as the Chinese Super League.
China attempted to use its financial clout to become a football superpower, but the bubble burst as the league was built on shaky foundations.
