When actress and producer Issa Rae joined the ownership group of MLS’s latest expansion team, San Diego FC, last year, she did not think she would be such a hands-on owner and wake up “mad early” to watch games when needed.
“I’ve become obsessed,” she told The Athletic, as the team kicked off the playoffs after setting records for most victories (19) and points (63) in a single season by an MLS expansion team. “It’s been a blast!”
Rae didn’t slide into San Diego’s ownership because it felt trendy. Her strong connection to Africa is why joining the franchise made so much sense for the Emmy-nominated actress and the creator of acclaimed HBO show Insecure.
“The origin of this [investment] goes back to a conversation with my business manager, who’s Ugandan, and a Ghanaian investor who introduced us to Right to Dream academy,” Rae explained.
The club has a partnership with Right to Dream, an organization based in Ghana that funnels talented kids into world-class academic and professional football programs, including MLS, the Premier League, and Ligue 1. “The more I learned about the program, the more it felt like something I couldn’t walk away from.”
.@sandiegofc co-owner Issa Rae in the house for her club’s first Audi MLS Cup Playoffs game. 👑 pic.twitter.com/9LI6u7Fieu
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) October 27, 2025
Growing up in a Senegalese family, soccer always had a special place in Rae’s life.
“The Senegal national team was pop culture for us. Those were our celebrities. Seeing my own last name on a Senegalese jersey? I used to tell people we were cousins,” she explained, adding that every time Senegal qualified for the World Cup, she’d be backing the Lions of Teranga. “Rooting against France was big for us,” she said.
She also played soccer growing up. “I still have my fifth-grade jersey that I occasionally wear, and my husband jokes like, ‘How do you still fit in that?” she says, laughing.
In a sports-ownership landscape where celebrity stakes are sometimes perceived as vanity plays, Rae says, her connection to San Diego is not a simple investment.
“I don’t want to be involved in anything that’s just a money play. If there’s no personal connection, I’m out,” she says. “San Diego is a city I love. I go there to write. It feels like a community I’m actually part of.”
Issa Rae brought:
● The Energy ✅
● The Flow ✅
● The Good Vibes ✅
And manifested a DUB ✅✅✅ https://t.co/Y48b8LgnKF pic.twitter.com/pd4XYrnZXS
— San Diego FC (@sandiegofc) April 1, 2025
San Diego was awarded a franchise in 2023 for a reported $500 million expansion fee and has an unusually global ownership group that includes British-Egyptian billionaire Sir Mohamed Mansour; the Sycuan band of the Kumeyaay Nation; Dan Dickinson, CEO of the Right to Dream Group; San Diego Padres star Manny Machado; former Spanish international Juan Mata; and Tems, the Lagos, Nigeria-based singer and two-time Grammy-winning songwriter and producer, among others. Rae is the latest minority owner to join the group through a partnership with Pave Investments, an African private-equity firm also helped lead the 2021 investment round for NBA Africa led by Tunde Folawiyo and Kwamena Afful.
Rae admits she didn’t follow MLS closely until she joined the ownership group. Now? She’s the type of owner who plans weekends around kickoff.
“I was going to every home game until I had to leave for a movie shoot in London,” she said.
When she’s in San Diego, she’s at Snapdragon Stadium. She arrives at least two hours early, wearing the team colors, and loves eating stadium food. But what gets her every time is the community. She has been dragging friends to games to turn them into fans, hoping to grow the franchise’s fan base. This postseason, she also led MLS’ “All for the Cup,” a three-part episodic social series that is airing across MLS Season Pass on Apple TV and on partner networks to promote the league through the most compelling storylines of the season – including San Diego’s debut.
Forget the Oscars. Forget the Ballon d’Or.
Issa Rae presents the 2025 MLS Superlatives! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/kkaMdzLxhQ
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) November 20, 2025
“I’m part of this community, I want to grow with this team,” she says.
Looking back at San Diego’s stunning debut campaign, it did not take much work to promote the team. The team finished the season atop the Western Conference and clinched a playoff berth first, playing some of the most watchable games in the league. Despite this stellar year, Rae sees the gaps that come with being a new club in a fractured American soccer landscape.
“Sometimes I’m watching and I’m like, ‘Damn … this stadium should be full. Do people know what they have?’” she said. “I know not everyone has an Apple TV, but once you go to a game, you fall in love. It’s such a social sport.”
Her other frustration is the lack of cross-promotion between the men’s team and San Diego Wave FC, one of NWSL’s most talented squads.
“People don’t even realize the women’s team is also playing there, playing incredible football,” Rae said. “I think there just needs to be more connection between the two teams. And that’s what I’m rooting for. Because the women’s team is outstanding,” she said.
San Diego’s Year 1 run has already been historic, and Rae is bracing for the emotional roller coaster as the club eyes the top prize. She hasn’t seen Lionel Messi play in person yet, something she’s both excited and slightly terrified about. To even have that chance in 2025, it would take both reaching MLS Cup, and for San Diego, the next step comes in Monday’s Western Conference semifinal again Minnesota United. Rae might not be at Snapdragon for this occasion, but if her investment and commitment are any indication, she’ll be plugged into the result.
