Episode 80: Akash Jain Talks MLS and FIFA World Cup 2026
It is time to talk about the worlds most popular sport, SOCCER! Or football. Or soccer. Depends on which side of the Atlantic you're on. With 3.5 BILLION followers, over half of the world’s population tunes in once in every 4 years to watch the World Cup and over 250 million individuals reportedly play soccer regularly.
I chat with my friend, Akash Jain, who is a global business development and strategy executive with experience growing sports properties and establishing international operations across markets for leading National Football League (NFL) and National Basketball Association (NBA). He is currently the VP of Strategy and Planning at Major League Soccer.
We talk about why soccer historically hasn't been as popular in the US, what has changed for American fans in the past 25 years, the relationship with FIFA and the National Women's Soccer League, what we can expect from the #worldcup2026 returning to North America, and why it will be the perfect (hopefully) #postpandemic celebration.
We also discuss U.S. Soccer’s pledge to #equalizepay between the men’s and women’s national teams in all competitions, the addition of teams being adding to #MLS, and why he believes that US Soccer in particular has the most unique competitive dynamics.
Akash also talks about his journey opening up the first National Basketball Association (NBA) offices in #India, how he feels about his 5 years in #Bombay growing the NBA, and we get a chance to exchange a few of our "expats living in India" stories that may include a white tiger, Dwight Howard, and a #3Idiots moment (popular #Bollywood movie).