MLS releases 2026 schedule featuring World Cup pause and new Miami stadium
The league will halt for seven weeks during the World Cup and open a new stadium for Inter Miami in April.
Major League Soccer has released the key dates for its 2026 season, which includes a seven-week pause for the FIFA World Cup and the opening of Inter Miami CF's new stadium.
The regular season begins with "MLS is Back" Opening Weekend on Feb. 21-22, featuring a Saturday matinee between St. Louis CITY SC and Charlotte FC.
On April 4, Inter Miami CF will officially open its new 25,000-seat soccer-specific stadium, Miami Freedom Park, in a match against Austin FC.
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The league will then halt all regular season play from May 25 to July 16 for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which is being hosted in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
"A record number of MLS players are expected to be called up to represent their national teams across the 104-game tournament," according to the league schedule.
The regular season resumes immediately after the World Cup semifinals on July 16-17 with a slate of marquee rivalry matches.
The 2026 MLS All-Star Week will be held at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C., with the Skills Challenge on Tuesday, July 28, followed by the All-Star Game on Wednesday, July 29.
The final matchday of the regular season, known as Decision Day, is set for Nov. 7, when all teams play simultaneously to lock in playoff seeding and finalize the Supporters' Shield and Golden Boot races.
The Audi 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs begin with the Wildcard round on Nov. 18.
The season concludes with the 2026 MLS Cup Final on Dec. 18.
The league's primary transfer window runs from Jan. 26 to March 26, and the secondary window is open from July 13 to Sept. 2.
Clubs must finalize their squads by the roster freeze deadline on Oct. 9.
The 2026 season is unique, "heavily shaped by the 2026 FIFA World Cup taking place in North America," the schedule notes state.
"Because of this massive global tournament, the league has a significant mid-season pause, extending the schedule a bit later into the year than usual."
The vast majority of MLS games in 2026 will be exclusively streamed on Apple TV.
"Traditional linear TV broadcasts are limited to a select number of matches shown on FOX and FS1," according to the schedule information.
Former broadcast partners ESPN and Univision no longer carry the league.
The 2026 season involves all 30 MLS clubs, including the expansion San Diego FC. Garbutt Disposal reported in October that St. Louis CITY SC set an MLS unbeaten record at 21 games.