The news: US interest in soccer is growing with the 2026 FIFA World Cup less than a year away. But one streaming brand with deep ties to soccer is notably absent from the pre-World Cup hype: Apple TV+.

NBCUniversal’s opening weekend for the UK-based Premier League averaged 850,000 viewers per game, up 4% from the previous season, per Nielsen and Adobe. The Premier League’s season opener match between Manchester United and Arsenal drew an average of 2 million US viewers across English- and Spanish-language channels.

However, AppleTV+’s $2.5 billion, decadelong rights deal with US-based Major League Soccer (MLS) has had unclear returns, and recent statements from league commissioner Don Garber have put a magnifying glass on Apple’s long-term bet to increase US soccer’s popularity.

Is the MLS paying off? Garber said in July that Apple TV+ streams of MLS games bring in 120,000 unique viewers per match, up 50% from the previous season.

But 50% growth doesn’t tell the full story. ESPN’s average viewership during the last year of its MLS deal was 345,000, suggesting a steep drop-off after Apple’s exclusivity. The Premier League’s strong US viewership across demographics suggests that foreign leagues still draw far larger audiences than the MLS—something Apple and the MLS have tried to counter with a flurry of content focused on star player Lionel Messi.

Though Apple holds MLS streaming rights through 2032, Garber hinted that the league may be reevaluating its deal. “How do we ensure that enough people have access to our games?” Garber said. “Is the subscription package the right approach? Is the price right? Do we even have a subscription?”

Our take: The looming World Cup is casting an unfavorable light on Apple’s streaming business and bet on domestic soccer, worsening concerns about the service’s reported $1 billion in yearly losses.

Apple TV+ is fathoms behind leading services with approximately 45 million subscribers, per The Information. Without a legacy media business to support its streaming operations, sports leagues have a wealth of other channels to partner with for better reach; NBCU could soon win MLB rights, removing a prized sports tentpole from Apple TV+’s lineup.