Mls Imperialism Map [updated] (Must Watch)

The next time you watch an MLS game—perhaps a sleepy Sunday afternoon affair between two teams going nowhere in the standings—glance at the imperialism map. Somewhere, a fan in a small town in Kansas is holding a sign that says, "We are Atlanta United territory until you beat Charlotte." Somewhere, a teenager in Toronto is furiously tweeting that the Vancouver Whitecaps’ empire is "paper-thin."

MLS fans, always hungry for narratives that transcend the standard "Supporters' Shield vs. MLS Cup" debate, adopted the format with gusto. The first notable MLS imperialism maps appeared on Reddit’s r/MLS around 2018-2019. Since then, it has become an annual tradition, meticulously updated by volunteer cartographers after each match week. mls imperialism map

The concept of the "imperialism map" was not born in MLS. It first gained traction in college basketball and college football subreddits (namely r/CFB). The idea was simple: take a map of the United States, divide it into counties (or territories), and assign each territory to the closest team. Then, every time a team wins a game, they conquer the territory of the team they defeated. The goal is to unify the entire map under one crest by the end of the season—global domination, soccer-style. The next time you watch an MLS game—perhaps

The 2026 MLS season is unique as it marks the first time in 20 years that the league has not added or planned an expansion team, following the addition of San Diego FC in 2025. The first notable MLS imperialism maps appeared on

The map operates on a simple set of "conquest" rules that turn every fixture into a high-stakes land grab:

That is the magic of the map. It transforms the abstract idea of "supporting your team" into a tangible, visual claim on the continent. It is Risk, Monopoly, and soccer all rolled into one. And in a league often searching for identity, the MLS Imperialism Map provides a simple, beautiful answer: we are all conquerors, at least until next Saturday.