Antoine Griezmann has won plenty during his star-studded career with Atlético Madrid, Barcelona and France, but the 2018 World Cup champion isn’t tempering his goals as he joins Orlando City in MLS for the second half of the 2026 season.
“Here I am, very eager, and my goal is to win a trophy and make the whole city happy,” Griezmann told reporters this week, having spent much of the last month in the United States, balancing life as he prepares to return to regular-season soccer, while also taking a slight rest to enjoy the 2026 World Cup and France’s run.
“The group is fantastic. Players with a lot of quality, with a lot of heart, and they’ve welcomed me incredibly, and I already feel at home. It feels like I’ve been here for months in the locker room, and that’s thanks to them.”
It will have been 59 days since Griezmann last played for Atlético Madrid by the time he reaches his potential MLS debut, but he has hit the ground running with the Lions. Already, he’s scored in a summer friendly against the USL Championship’s Tampa Bay Rowdies and is poised to make his official debut on July 22 against Timo Werner’s San Jose Earthquakes.
GUESS WHO 😉
— Orlando City SC (@OrlandoCitySC) July 8, 2026
🟣 1-0 🟢 pic.twitter.com/cWcA7LGl9f
After flirting with an MLS move for years, Griezmann finally put pen to paper in March, setting up his move after wrapping up the 2025–26 season with Atlético Madrid, where he recorded seven goals and four assists in 34 games, as they finished fourth in La Liga and fell in the Champions League semifinals.
The move to acquire Griezmann wasn’t an easy project for Ricardo Moreira, Orlando City’s general manager and sporting director, who traveled to Madrid to court the esteemed attacker about a potential move to the United States.
“Ricardo’s visit to Madrid—eight or nine hours of traveling—just knowing that for me was incredible," Griezmann said. “It was a nice moment where I invited him only to coffee and water. A couple of hours went by, and it went incredibly well. We talked for hours, and by the end of it, I knew everything about the team, the club and its culture."
Added Moreira at the unveiling event: “A signing like this doesn’t happen by chance ... It happened with a couple of trips to Madrid. Antoine’s family opened the doors of their house to me, and I got to live a little with the Griezmann family there in Madrid. I think the human connection was right there, and from that moment on, I was certain that at some point we were going to get him signed.”
A Dream Come True: Playing in the U.S.
While Griezmann is far from the first veteran European star to make his way to Major League Soccer, he’s one of the few who have already become iconic in the North American sports landscape, regularly attending NBA games and other events across the U.S.
Now, he gets a chance to embrace it all for himself, in a move that he calls his “dream and ambition” since he was “18 years old,” a timeline that would predate Orlando City’s MLS existence by six years.
“Since I was 18 years old, my dream was to come to Major League Soccer,” Griezmann said. “It was important for me to arrive physically and mentally well, and that’s why I made the move ... I came to visit the city, and we loved it. The kids loved it as well. It’s incredible how we've been received by everyone, and I hope I can return that love to everyone.”
Already this summer, the 35-year-old, his wife Erika and their four children have settled into the Orlando suburbs, while he has been spotted at World Cup games, including France’s quarterfinal win over Morocco in Boston.
“The kids are falling in love with the city; everybody who has received us here—it was incredible, not only in their school, but also for our family and for me,” Griezmann added. “We’re very happy, and I hope I can give you that love back.”
Making a Late MLS Cup Playoff Push
Griezmann adds hope for Orlando City, but the Lions find themselves in a similar spot to their rivalsInter Miami back in 2023, when they welcomed Lionel Messi to MLS. At that time, Miami sat near the bottom of the Eastern Conference and was largely out of the playoff race—much like Orlando City is now.
After 15 of 34 games, Orlando City sit 12th in the Eastern Conference, four points short of D.C. United for the ninth and final postseason spot. Yet, by adding one of the best attackers of a generation, there’s hope not just for this season but also for a better start next year, with Griezmann signed through 2028.
One of the key priorities now that Griezmann has arrived will be to sort out the managerial situation as well, with Martín Perelman currently serving as interim manager after the club parted ways with veteran boss Óscar Pareja following a dismal start to the campaign.
“We want to have a championship-caliber club, a first-class club, and with this signing, we really are where we need to be,” majority owner Mark Wilf said. “So, a lot of excitement, also a lot of pride, the entire organization and the entire city, all the support to have this happen, and it came together so beautifully, and we’re just excited and proud.”
