Antoine Griezmann will leave Atlético de Madrid this summer and join Orlando City and the Major League Soccer, it has been reported by local Spanish media. It won't happen in the middle of the season, as Orlando wanted and Atleti feared, but the deal will indeed happen in June 2026, ending Griezmann's illustrious career with Atlético de Madrid, where he became the club's all-time top goal scorer.
Now that the domestic league has stopped, and doesn't have international duties, having retired from the French national team in 2024, Griezmann will travel to Orlando to sign his new deal with "the Lions", nickname for Orlando City SC, a team founded in 2010 that joined the MLS in 2015. But before joining Orlando City mid MLS-season, Griezmann will finish his season with Atleti, where he will fight for Copa del Rey title in a final next month, and against Barcelona in Champions League quarter-finals.
Orlando City have won one title, the US Open Cup (the oldest football competition in the US, dating back from 1914). In the MLS, their best post-season finish was semifinals in 2024, and one year earlier they finished second in the regular season.