Major League Soccer has officially identified the executive who will guide the league into its next chapter, announcing that LAFC Co-Managing Owner Larry Berg will become the league’s next commissioner beginning January 1, 2027.
Berg succeeds Don Garber, whose nearly three decades at the helm helped transform MLS from a fledgling 10-team league into a 30-club competition with global ambitions. Garber will remain commissioner through the end of 2026 before transitioning into the role of chairman, creating what the league described as a seamless leadership transition.
The announcement follows an extensive succession process conducted by MLS’ Board of Governors with assistance from executive search and leadership firms Korn Ferry, CAA, and The Miles Group.
“I’m honored to lead Major League Soccer into its next era,” Berg said in the league’s announcement. “I believe our greatest opportunities are still ahead.”
A Familiar Face with Global Experience
Although Berg is best known to many fans as a founding co-managing owner of Los Angeles Football Club, his résumé extends well beyond MLS.
Berg has served as Co-Chair of Major League Soccer’s Sporting and Competition Committee while helping LAFC become one of the league’s premier organizations. Since entering MLS in 2018, LAFC has captured the 2019 and 2022 Supporters’ Shields along with the 2022 MLS Cup while establishing BMO Stadium as one of North America’s premier soccer venues.
His soccer experience also includes ownership interests in Italian Serie A side AS Roma and Welsh club Swansea City AFC, giving him direct exposure to multiple football ecosystems around the world.
Away from soccer, Berg spent more than three decades in private equity, serving as a senior partner at Apollo Global Management before later joining investment firm 26North.
A Defining Period for MLS
Berg assumes leadership during what could become one of the most consequential periods in league history.
Following the momentum generated by the 2026 FIFA World Cup, MLS is preparing for several major initiatives over the coming years, including the implementation of its new competition calendar in 2027, continued evolution of roster rules, additional soccer-specific stadium openings, future media rights negotiations, and a new collective bargaining agreement.
Those developments will require balancing continued league expansion and commercial growth while maintaining competitive quality on the field.
MLS ownership believes Berg’s background uniquely positions him to oversee those challenges.
“Throughout our process it became clear that Larry is uniquely qualified to lead MLS through one of the most significant periods in its history,” said Jimmy Haslam, Co-Chair of the MLS Succession Committee.
Building on Garber’s Legacy
Replacing Don Garber is no small task.
Since becoming commissioner in 1999, Garber has overseen unprecedented growth across virtually every area of the league. During his tenure, MLS expanded from 10 clubs to 30, attracted major ownership groups, helped facilitate the construction of 26 soccer-specific stadiums, and elevated the league’s profile both domestically and internationally.
As part of the transition, Berg will divest his ownership stake in LAFC in accordance with MLS governance policies, ensuring impartial leadership across all 30 clubs.
With the World Cup now in the rearview mirror and the league entering a new competitive and commercial phase, Major League Soccer believes Larry Berg is the executive best equipped to carry its momentum forward into a new era.
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