Polymarket named exclusive prediction market partner of Major League Soccer

Polymarket has signed a multi-year agreement with Major League Soccer (MLS) to serve as the league’s exclusive prediction market partner across key events, including the MLS Cup, All-Star Game, and Leagues Cup.

Announced on Jan. 26, the partnership will introduce second-screen features and real-time sentiment tracking across MLS digital platforms, designed to increase engagement during live matches. 

Polymarket will provide infrastructure to allow fans to interact with collective forecasts tied to pivotal in-game moments and season narratives.

“As MLS continues to grow, innovation remains central to how we engage fans and evolve the league,” said Gary Stevenson, MLS Deputy Commissioner and President of Soccer United Marketing. 

Polymarket CEO Shayne Coplan said the collaboration would offer “a more interactive, data-driven way” for supporters to follow the sport.

To safeguard match integrity, the companies will implement independent oversight to monitor trading activity linked to all relevant markets.

The partnership comes as Polymarket starts offering its prediction market to US residents after a multi-year break and continues to expand in the sports scene. 

Alongside its recent MLS deal, it has signed prediction-related agreements with the NHL, the UFC, and the New York Rangers. 

Outside of sports, the platform has integrated data from firms like Yahoo Finance and Dow Jones to expand its reach into financial news and search.

Data from Token Terminal shows Polymarket’s 30-day trading volume rose over 42% in January.

Polymarket’s growth supported by regulatory clarity

Historically, prediction markets operated in legal ambiguity, with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) using provisions under the Commodity Exchange Act to block event contracts it deemed to fall under “gaming.”

That interpretation was challenged in 2024 when a federal judge ruled in favor of Kalshi, clarifying that political and sports events do not fall within the legal definition of gaming. 

The CFTC dropped its appeal in mid-2025, easing restrictions at the federal level.

Polymarket reentered the US market shortly after, acquiring QCEX, a licensed Designated Contract Market (DCM), to resume operations under CFTC oversight.

Yet even with federal clearance, prediction markets remain entangled in a patchwork of state-level resistance. 

States like Nevada, New Jersey, Maryland, and Tennessee have challenged the legality of sports and election-related contracts, arguing that they fall under local gambling laws and require state-issued licenses.

Court decisions on this matter have been mixed.

While a New Jersey court sided with Kalshi’s federal preemption claim, allowing operations to continue, states like Maryland and Nevada have won their cases, enabling them to apply state gambling restrictions to platforms already approved at the federal level.

A key ruling from the Third Circuit Court of Appeals is still pending and could determine whether national-level prediction platforms will face permanent geographic fragmentation.

Despite these headwinds, Polymarket has continued to grow its roster of high-profile partners.

Earlier this month, Polymarket also teamed up with housing data provider Parcl to launch tradable contracts based on city-level real estate indices. 

The partnership allows users to take positions on whether property prices in selected US metros will rise or fall over time, adding housing to the list of emerging prediction categories.

The post Polymarket named exclusive prediction market partner of Major League Soccer appeared first on Invezz