MLS Commissioner Don Garber told reporters at TQL Stadium on Aug. 10 that the MLS has promised FC Cincinnati an All-Star Game in a wide-ranging conversation about the club’s history and league topics.
Garber returned to Cincinnati for the first time since FC Cincinnati won the Supporters’ Shield in 2023 for the club’s 10th Anniversary Night Aug. 10. He spoke about the All-Star promise, FC Cincinnati’s history and Leagues Cup.
“It’s just a matter of when they want it and how to organize the timing of it, but we’ve committed to it from the very beginning, so we will have an All-Star game here (in Cincinnati),” Garber said.
An FC Cincinnati spokesperson emphasized to The Enquirer that there is no “pre-agreement” in place for the club to host the All-Star Game.
The 2026 All-Star Game will be played in Charlotte, North Carolina, after the 2025 edition took place in Austin, Texas.
During the roughly 13-minute conversation, Garber lauded the vision of FC Cincinnati co-CEO Jeff Berding, general manager Chris Albright, and coach Pat Noonan, noting the team’s recent success.
Off the field, the Orange and Blue moved into their soccer-specific TQL Stadium in 2021 and Mercy Health Training Center in 2019.
“FC Cincinnati is a small market that acts like a big market, winning the supporter shield, signing top players, having a state-of-the-art stadium, having a rabid fan base,” Garber said.
FC joined MLS as the league’s 26th team when they were announced in 2018. Since then, the league has expanded to 30 clubs.
But Garber said he feels like the league is adequately sized for the near future
“I’m not quite sure what the future holds,” Garber said. “It’s hard to imagine that MLS won’t look a bit different five years from now than it looks today.”
Leagues Cup “excitement” at “all-time” high
The league launched the expanded Leagues Cup tournament with Mexico’s Liga MX in 2023, changing the format in 2025 as it featured 18 MLS and Liga MX clubs against each other, with just four squads from each league moving to the knockout stages.
FC Cincinnati was eliminated from the 2025 Leagues Cup after rotating their lineup, like many squads did, in their third Phase One match in which they would have had to win by at least four goals to have a chance of advancing at the time of kickoff.
Garber touted Leagues Cup’s success, noting viewership, ratings and commercial revenue, although he declined to share concrete audience numbers, which he said they plan to release “shortly.”
“The excitement around (Leagues Cup) is at an all-time high,” Garber said. “So, we’re very bullish on the tournament.”
