Polymarket Teams Up With the MLS as Crypto Enters US Football in a Big Way

Ben Graham · 5 horas atrás

Polymarket has partnered with Major League Soccer (MLS), the US professional football league, helping push crypto prediction markets into everyday sports culture.

The move sees the MLS enter the prediction market space and continues Polymarket’s rapid surge into the mainstream, following a similar deal that made it the UFC’s official prediction market partner.

Today Soccer United Marketing and @Polymarket announced multi-year partnerships with @MLS and @LeaguesCup that will offer new ways for fans to engage with matches and follow season-long storylines by integrating prediction markets into the fan experience. https://t.co/EYzJx98hcx pic.twitter.com/kMBU9rup1w

— MLS Communications (@MLS_PR) January 26, 2026

Polymarket blew up after a record-setting 2024 election cycle that pulled more than $1Bn in betting volume and has gone from strength to strength ever since. This MLS partnership aligns with a broader shift toward crypto tools, moving from price speculation to real-world use.

For regular fans, this matters because crypto is showing up in places you already understand. Sports. Scores. Outcomes. No trading screens or knowledge required, making the barrier to entry even lower.

(SOURCE: Dune Analytics)

Polymarket x MLS Deal Explained

The deal, announced late last night, will see Polymarket serve as the official and exclusive prediction market partner of MLS, MLS All-Star Game, MLS Cup, and Leagues Cup.

Polymarket and MLS will also be collaborating to develop new fan experiences across MLS digital platforms and to produce digital content across MLS and Leagues Cup platforms.

The partnership is said to include safeguards to protect the integrity of MLS and Leagues Cup matches, a much-needed priority for both Polymarket and the MLS to prevent accusations of foul play.

This soccer partnership signals a broader trend in which crypto products such as Polymarket are pursuing real-world adoption. Polymarket has already proved that demand exists for prediction markets.

During the 2024 US election, traders poured more than $1Bn into political forecasts. That surge showed prediction markets can act as live sentiment trackers, not just gambling tools.

(SOURCE: Polymarket)

EXPLORE: Top 20 Crypto to Buy in January 2026

MLS is Added to a Growing Roster of Global Partners: Joins the UFC, NHL, DAZN, and More

These prediction market exchanges occur under federal commodities and derivatives regulation rather than state gambling laws, allowing the likes of Polymarket to operate in all 50 US states.

However, it wasn’t all plain sailing for Polymarket after the platform withdrew from the US following a 2022 Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) enforcement action that identified unregistered event contract activity, resulting in a $1.4M fine.

The company has since restructured its operations and aligned itself with a regulated exchange that can list, clear, and monitor event contracts that fall within federal derivatives rules.

This was followed by CFTC approval at the end of 2025, reinstating Polymarket in the US and allowing citizens to use its services, signaling an important policy shift.

Polymarket has wasted no time in its reemergence into the American market, quickly landing partnership deals with the likes of DAZN, the NHL, the UFC, and now the MLS.

What Next for Polymarket Following MLS Deal? Airdrop and POLY Token Next?

my 2026 prediction: if @polymarket launches its token this year, then it will surely open at $20B+ FDV.

– company valued at $9B (Oct 2025) → secondary market now at $11.6B (Jan 2026)
– ICE invested $2B, team targeting $12-15B next round
– $5B+ monthly volume, platform dominates… pic.twitter.com/AFnEWUeMd2

— Asif Khan (,) (@0xkhan_) January 27, 2026

Following a slew of high-profile partnership deals, many are left wondering what’s next for Polymarket, and while more sporting league deals are possibly (and likely) on the way, the crypto community is eagerly awaiting the promised token launch and airdrop.

Back in October 2025, the Polymarket Chief Marketing Officer announced the firm would launch a token and distribute a portion of it to users through an airdrop after it formally relaunches in the United States.

“There will be a token, there will be an airdrop,” Polymarket CMO Matthew Modabber said on the Degenz Live podcast. But he went on to say the launch would not be imminent. Modabber said the firm is focused first on making a strong return to the US market.

With that US relaunch well underway, talk has turned to the token drop, and while no solid information was given, Modabber did hint at the model the Polymarket token could be launched on.

In that podcast appearance, he pointed to the token model of Hyperliquid (HYPE), a leading perp DEX that launched a token without paying for CEX listings on platforms such as Binance, relying solely on its hype (excuse the pun) and demand, while making traders come to the Hyperliquid platform to trade it.

DISCOVER:

Follow 99Bitcoins on X For the Latest Market Updates and Subscribe on YouTube For Daily Expert Market Analysis.

The post Polymarket Teams Up With the MLS as Crypto Enters US Football in a Big Way appeared first on 99Bitcoins.