Mesoporous carbons with high surface area, large pore diameter, and enhanced mesoporosity have been synthesized by a novel soft colloidal template route and investigated as an electrocatalyst support for methanol oxidation. The mesoporous carbon has been characterized by nitrogen adsorption measurements, transmission electron microscopy, and cyclic voltammetry. The mesoporous carbons loaded with Pt catalysts exhibit three times higher mass activity (mA/mg Pt) for methanol oxidation than Vulcan XC 72R loaded with Pt. The enhanced activity of the mesoporous carbon is attributed to a better dispersion and utilization of the catalysts, originating from a combination of high surface area and absence of undesirable micropores. (C) 2004 The Electrochemical Society.