How Much Do MLS Players Earn? MLS Salary Guide

Not everybody in Major League Soccer takes home as much as Lionel Messi.

Barnaby Lane | Apr 4, 2025

Lionel Messi, unsurprisingly, is the highest earner in MLS. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Major League Soccer is one of the fastest-growing soccer leagues in the world.

Each year, new multi-million dollar franchises are being introduced, the league's popularity continues to rise, and star players—both young and experienced—are arriving to ply their trade in the division.

From Inter Miami's Lionel Messi to FC Cincinnati’s new signing Kevin Denkey, MLS is now packed with superstars, many of whom take home huge sums of money each week as Designated Players.

Not everyone in the league, however, is so fortunate. Some players earn just a fraction of what the biggest names make, with teams carefully managing their wage bills under the league's strict salary cap and roster rules.

So how much does the average MLS player earn?

MLS Player Salary Averages

FC Cincinnati striker Kevin Denkey. / Jeff Swinger-Imagn Images

According to Capology, the average annual salary for the 832 players in MLS for 2025 is $354,390, with the league’s total wage bill standing at $294.85 million.

This represents a notable drop from 2024, when the average salary was $541,394, split among 820 players.

However, looking at the trends over time, player earnings have seen substantial growth compared to a decade ago, when the average salary in 2015 was $265,742. Going back even further to 2007, the average MLS player earned just $104,619 per season.

These figures, however, don’t truly reflect the actual take-home pay of most MLS players, as the average is significantly skewed by a handful of very high earners.

Designated Player Rule and High Earners

Toronto FC forward Lorenzo Insigne. / Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images

Unlike many other leagues in world soccer, MLS has strict rules about its teams' rosters and players' salaries.

MLS enforces a "soft salary cap," with most of the 30 players allowed on each team's roster limited to a maximum salary of $743,750 each season, which totals to $5,950,000 for the entire roster.

There are, however, a number of exceptions to this rule, including U22 Initiative players, TAM (Targeted Allocation Money) players, Homegrown Subsidy Players, and, most notably, Designated Players.

U22 Initiative players must meet specific age requirements to be eligible, and their salaries are charged to the salary cap at a fixed, reduced amount, allowing clubs to bring in young talent at a lower cost.

TAM players, who are typically veteran players with significant experience or those who would otherwise exceed the salary cap, can have their salaries partially covered by the league. This allows teams to sign players who would strengthen their squad without exceeding the salary cap.

Meanwhile, Designated Players are high-profile players who are exempt from the salary cap restrictions, enabling MLS clubs to sign star players from abroad. Each team is allowed up to three, and only $743,750 of their salaries counts against the overall budget. The club is responsible for paying the remainder.

Highest-Earning MLS Designated Players 2025

Here's a list of the 10 highest-earning Designated Players in MLS for 2025, including their salaries, according to Capology:

Player	Team	Annual Salary
Lionel Messi	Inter Miami	$12,000,000
Lorenzo Insigne	Toronto FC	$7,500,000
Emil Forsberg	New York Red Bulls	$5,405,000
Christian Benteke	D.C. United	$4,250,000
Carles Gil	New England Revolution	$4,000,000
Riqui Puig	LA Galaxy	$4,000,000
Hany Mukhtar	Nashville SC	$3,800,000
Hugo Cuypers	Chicago Fire	$3,238,000
Walker Zimmerman	Nashville SC	$3,200,000
Joseph Paintsil	LA Galaxy	$3,136,000
Federico Bernardeschi	Toronto FC	$3,125,000

Minimum Salaries and Entry-Level Contracts

Philadelphia Union midfielder Cavan Sullivan is MLS' best young prospect. / Caean Couto-Imagn Images

Just as MLS enforces a maximum salary for most players, there is also a minimum—though the exact figure depends on a player's roster designation.

According to MLS' 2025 Roster Rules and Regulations, players on an MLS team's senior roster (slots 1-20 of the 30-man squad) must earn at least $104,000 per year. This minimum salary also applies to those in slots 21-24, which can include Homegrown Players, Generation Adidas players, or those selected in the MLS SuperDraft.

For the remaining six spots (slots 25-30), the reserve minimum salary is $80,622 annually. Players in these slots must be under 24 years old and can also be Homegrown or Generation Adidas signings.

It’s all a bit complex, we know, but the minimum and maximum salaries in MLS are designed to maintain financial stability, promote competitive balance, and encourage the development of young talent while still allowing teams to attract star players through various exemptions.

MLS Salaries: International vs. Domestic Players

FC Dallas midfielder Luciano Acosta. / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

In MLS, there are a total of 241 international roster spots available across the league, divided among its 30 clubs. However, these spots are not permanently fixed to a specific team—they can be traded between clubs, allowing teams to acquire additional international slots if needed.

Generally speaking, international players tend to earn higher salaries than domestic players. This is largely because the majority of Designated Players are recruited from overseas rather than from the United States.

In fact, of the 69 Designated Players registered in MLS for the 2025 season, only three are U.S. natives––Columbus Crew's Darlington Nagbe, Nashville SC's Walker Zimmerman, and Jordan Morris of the Seattle Sounders.

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Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba, and Lionel Messi of Inter Miami.

Published Apr 4, 2025

BARNABY LANE

Barnaby Lane is a highly experienced sports writer who has written for The Times, FourFourTwo Magazine, TalkSPORT, and Business Insider. Over the years, he's had the pleasure of interviewing some of the biggest names in world sport, including Usain Bolt, Rafael Nadal, Christian Pulisic, and more.