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Do you wish that teams in Mexico could play MLS teams more often? If you do, it looks like you’re going to get your wish.
Soccer - 2026 World Cup could lead to combined north American league: Liga MX chief https://t.co/xd0Gs75BMP
— Reuters Sports (@ReutersSports) October 10, 2018
Liga MX president Enqiue Bonilla said Wednesday that a single league that covers the United States, Mexico, and Canada could be the result of the 2026 World Cup that is set to be joint-hosted by all three countries.
What kind of league or what form this would take is still unknown at this point, and it’s all likely to be up in the air for a while, if anything ever comes of the idea.
MLS statement related to comments by Liga MX president Enrique Bonilla about a combined North American league including Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. pic.twitter.com/6iqLYQru5d
— Jeff Carlisle (@JeffreyCarlisle) October 10, 2018
MLS gave a non-denial statement of any future combined league in a vague statement about the “joint-league” comments by Bonilla.
Does this mean that LigaMX wants in on the cash generated by MLS or does MLS want in on the TV audience that LigaMX generates in the US?
In a word, yes.
Liga MX is by far the most-watched soccer league in the US and MLS makes a lot more money per club and has higher valuations for their clubs than their counterparts in Mexico. Both leagues want to figure out how to work together to learn what the other league does best and figure out how to bring those strengths to their respective league.
So does this mean that a top-flight combo league between MLS and Liga MX is in the works? Or will it be more like Major League Baseball’s American and National Leagues with a “Championship” match between the two leagues? At this point, who knows? But count on seeing more cooperation between the two federations and more matches being played between MLS teams and Liga MX teams in the near future.