2026 Major League Soccer season

Major League Soccer
Season2026
Dates
  • February 21 – November 7
    (regular season)
  • TBA
    (playoffs)
  • December 18
    (MLS Cup)
Teams30
← 2025
2027 →

The 2026 Major League Soccer season is the upcoming 31st season of Major League Soccer (MLS), the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is also the 48th overall season of a national first-division men's soccer league in the United States sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation. The league has 30 clubs that are divided into the Eastern and Western conferences, each with 15 teams.

The regular season is scheduled to run from February 21 to November 7 with 34 matches for each team, primarily against opponents in the same conference. A six-week break from May 25 to July 16 is planned for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which is being hosted in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The playoffs are scheduled to be played during an uninterrupted period in November and December that culminates in MLS Cup 2026, the league's postseason championship[1] on December 18.[2] The 2026 season is the final full season played under the spring–autumn format, as MLS plans to transition to a summer–spring format beginning with the 2027–28 season. A shortened season with 14 matches is scheduled to be played in early 2027.[3]

All MLS matches during the regular season and playoffs are planned to be broadcast on Apple TV, an online streaming service operated by Apple Inc. It replaces MLS Season Pass, which was a standalone streaming service by Apple, used from 2023 to 2025.[4]

Inter Miami CF enters the season as reigning MLS Cup champions, while the Philadelphia Union enter as holders of the Supporters' Shield.

Teams

Stadiums and locations

Main article: List of Major League Soccer stadiums
Locations of teams for the 2026 Major League Soccer season
Western Conference   Eastern Conference
Team Stadium Capacity
Atlanta United FC Mercedes-Benz Stadium[A] 42,500
Austin FC Q2 Stadium 20,738
CF Montréal Saputo Stadium 19,619
Charlotte FC Bank of America Stadium[A] 38,000[5]
Chicago Fire FC Soldier Field[A] 24,955
Colorado Rapids Dick's Sporting Goods Park 18,061
Columbus Crew ScottsMiracle-Gro Field 20,011
D.C. United Audi Field 20,000
FC Cincinnati TQL Stadium 26,000
FC Dallas Toyota Stadium 20,500
Houston Dynamo FC Shell Energy Stadium 22,039
Inter Miami CF Miami Freedom Park 25,000
LA Galaxy Dignity Health Sports Park 27,000
Los Angeles FC BMO Stadium 22,000
Minnesota United FC Allianz Field 19,400
Nashville SC Geodis Park 30,000
New England Revolution Gillette Stadium[A] 20,000
New York City FC Yankee Stadium[A]
Citi Field[A] 		28,743
41,992
New York Red Bulls Sports Illustrated Stadium 25,000
Orlando City SC Inter&Co Stadium 25,500
Philadelphia Union Subaru Park 18,500
Portland Timbers Providence Park 25,218
Real Salt Lake America First Field 20,213
San Diego FC Snapdragon Stadium 35,000
San Jose Earthquakes PayPal Park 18,000
Seattle Sounders FC Lumen Field[A] 37,722
Sporting Kansas City Sporting Park 18,467
St. Louis City SC Energizer Park 22,423
Toronto FC BMO Field 28,351
Vancouver Whitecaps FC BC Place[A] 22,120
  1. ^
    Non-soccer specific stadium and artificially reduced capacity. Capacity may be increased to full capacity if demand requires.

Personnel and sponsorships

Note: All teams use Adidas as universal kit manufacturer. As part of Apple's broadcast contract, all MLS kits include Apple TV+ as a sleeve sponsor.[6]

Team Head coach Captain Shirt sponsor Sleeve sponsor
Atlanta United FC Argentina Gerardo Martino Paraguay Miguel Almirón American Family Insurance Emory Healthcare
Austin FC Spain Nico Estévez Spain Ilie Sánchez Yeti Siete Foods
Charlotte FC England Dean Smith England Ashley Westwood Ally Rugs.com
Chicago Fire FC United States Gregg Berhalter England Jack Elliot Carvana[7] Magellan Corporation
FC Cincinnati United States Pat Noonan United States Miles Robinson Mercy Health Kroger
Colorado Rapids England Matt Wells United States Keegan Rosenberry UCHealth Kiewit
Columbus Crew Sweden Henrik Rydström United States Sean Zawadzki Nationwide DHL Supply Chain[8]
FC Dallas United States Eric Quill United States Shaq Moore Children's Health (Home)
UT Southwestern (Away) 		—
D.C. United Switzerland René Weiler United States Lucas Bartlett Guidehouse Fruitist
Houston Dynamo FC United States Ben Olsen Brazil Artur MD Anderson —
Inter Miami CF Argentina Javier Mascherano Argentina Lionel Messi Royal Caribbean Lowe's
LA Galaxy United States Greg Vanney Japan Maya Yoshida Herbalife RBC
Los Angeles FC Canada Marc Dos Santos United States Aaron Long BMO Bank[t 1] Ford
Minnesota United FC New Zealand Cameron Knowles New Zealand Michael Boxall Target[t 2] NutriSource
CF Montréal Italy Marco Donadel Canada Samuel Piette Bank of Montreal Telus
Nashville SC United States B.J. Callaghan Germany Hany Mukhtar Renasant Bank[t 3] Hyundai
New England Revolution Serbia Marko Mitrović Spain Carles Gil Gillette —
New York City FC Netherlands Pascal Jansen Brazil Thiago Martins Etihad Airways[t 4] Judi Health
New York Red Bulls United States Michael Bradley Sweden Emil Forsberg Red Bull OANDA
Orlando City SC Colombia Óscar Pareja Sweden Robin Jansson Orlando Health Exploria
Philadelphia Union South Africa Bradley Carnell United States Alejandro Bedoya Bimbo Bakeries USA Independence Blue Cross
Portland Timbers England Phil Neville Colombia Diego Chará Bank of America[9][t 5] Tillamook
Real Salt Lake United States Pablo Mastroeni Brazil Rafael Cabral Select Health Intermountain Health
San Diego FC United States Mikey Varas Denmark Jeppe Tverskov DirecTV[10] Adriana's Insurance
San Jose Earthquakes United States Bruce Arena TBA El Camino Health Habbas Law
Seattle Sounders FC United States Brian Schmetzer Switzerland Stefan Frei Providence[t 6] Emerald Queen Casino
Sporting Kansas City Switzerland Raphaël Wicky TBA Compass Minerals Saint Luke's
St. Louis City SC France Yoann Damet Switzerland Roman Bürki Purina BJC HealthCare
Toronto FC United States Robin Fraser Canada Jonathan Osorio Bank of Montreal LG
Vancouver Whitecaps FC Denmark Jesper Sørensen Scotland Ryan Gauld Telus BLG
  1. ^ Rockstar sponsors training and special event jerseys
  2. ^ Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota sponsors training and special event jerseys
  3. ^ Vanderbilt Health sponsors training and special event jerseys
  4. ^ Montefiore Einstein sponsors training and special event jerseys
  5. ^ Dutch Bros. Coffee sponsors training and special event jerseys
  6. ^ Providence Swedish sponsors training and special event jerseys

Coaching changes

Team Outgoing coach Manner of departure Date of vacancy Position in table Incoming coach Date of appointment
Atlanta United FC Norway Ronny Deila Fired[11] October 19, 2025 Pre-season Argentina Gerardo Martino November 6, 2025[12]
Colorado Rapids United States Chris Armas End of contract[13] October 27, 2025 England Matt Wells December 23, 2025[14]
New York Red Bulls Germany Sandro Schwarz Mutual consent[15] United States Michael Bradley December 15, 2025[16]
New England Revolution Uruguay Pablo Moreira (interim) End of interim period November 7, 2025 Serbia Marko Mitrović November 7, 2025[17]
Los Angeles FC United States Steve Cherundolo Mutual consent[a] December 1, 2025 Canada Marc Dos Santos December 5, 2025[18]
Columbus Crew France Wilfried Nancy Signed by Scotland Celtic[19] December 3, 2025 Sweden Henrik Rydström December 31, 2025[20]
St. Louis City SC England David Critchley (interim) End of interim period December 16, 2025 France Yoann Damet December 16, 2025[21]
Sporting Kansas City United States Kerry Zavagnin (interim) End of interim period January 5, 2026 Switzerland Raphaël Wicky January 5, 2026[22]
Minnesota United FC Wales Eric Ramsay Signed by England West Bromwich Albion[23] January 11, 2026 New Zealand Cameron Knowles January 12, 2026[24]

Regular season

Conference standings

MLS Eastern Conference table (2026)
Pos Team Pld W L T GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Charlotte FC 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 Qualification for round one and the CONCACAF Champions Cup round one
2 Atlanta United FC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Qualification for round one
3 Chicago Fire FC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4 FC Cincinnati 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
5 Columbus Crew 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
6 D.C. United 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
7 Inter Miami CF 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
8 CF Montréal 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Qualification for the wild-card round
9 Nashville SC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
10 New England Revolution 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
11 New York City FC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
12 New York Red Bulls 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
13 Orlando City SC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
14 Philadelphia Union 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
15 Toronto FC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
First match(es) will be played: February 21, 2026. Source: MLS
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total wins; 3) total goal differential; 4) total goals scored; 5) fewer disciplinary points; 6) away goal differential; 7) away goals scored; 8) home goals differential; 9) home goals scored; 10) coin toss (2 clubs tied) or drawing of lots (≥3 clubs tied)

MLS Western Conference table (2026)
Pos Team Pld W L T GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 St. Louis City SC 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 Qualification for round one and the CONCACAF Champions Cup round one
2 Austin FC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Qualification for round one
3 Colorado Rapids 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4 FC Dallas 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
5 Houston Dynamo FC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
6 LA Galaxy 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
7 Los Angeles FC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
8 Minnesota United FC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Qualification for the wild-card round
9 Portland Timbers 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
10 Real Salt Lake 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
11 San Diego FC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
12 San Jose Earthquakes 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
13 Seattle Sounders FC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
14 Sporting Kansas City 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
15 Vancouver Whitecaps FC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
First match(es) will be played: February 21, 2026. Source: MLS
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total wins; 3) total goal differential; 4) total goals scored; 5) fewer disciplinary points; 6) away goal differential; 7) away goals scored; 8) home goals differential; 9) home goals scored; 10) coin toss (2 clubs tied) or drawing of lots (≥3 clubs tied)

Overall table

The leading team in this table wins the Supporters' Shield.

Overall MLS standings table
Pos Team Pld W L T GF GA GD Pts
1 Atlanta United FC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2 Austin FC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 Chicago Fire FC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4 FC Cincinnati 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
5 Charlotte FC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
6 Columbus Crew 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
7 Colorado Rapids 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
8 FC Dallas 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
9 D.C. United 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
10 Houston Dynamo FC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
11 LA Galaxy 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
12 Los Angeles FC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
13 Inter Miami CF 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
14 Minnesota United FC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
15 CF Montréal 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
16 Nashville SC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
17 New England Revolution 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
18 New York City FC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
19 New York Red Bulls 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
20 Orlando City SC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
21 Philadelphia Union 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
22 Portland Timbers 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
23 Real Salt Lake 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
24 San Diego FC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
25 San Jose Earthquakes 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
26 Seattle Sounders FC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
27 St. Louis City SC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
28 Sporting Kansas City 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
29 Toronto FC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
30 Vancouver Whitecaps FC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
First match(es) will be played: February 21, 2026. Source: MLS
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total wins; 3) total goal differential; 4) total goals scored; 5) fewer disciplinary points; 6) away goal differential; 7) away goals scored; 8) home goals differential; 9) home goals scored; 10) coin toss (2 clubs tied) or drawing of lots (≥3 clubs tied)

Results table

Home \ Away ATL AUS CHI CIN CLB CLT COL DAL DCU HOU LAX LFC MIA MIN MTL NEW NSH NYC NYR ORL PHI POR RSL SEA SDC SJO SKC STL TOR VAN
Atlanta United FC
Austin FC a a
Chicago Fire FC
FC Cincinnati a
Columbus Crew a a
Charlotte FC
Colorado Rapids a
FC Dallas a a a
D.C. United a
Houston Dynamo FC a a
LA Galaxy a a
Los Angeles FC a
Inter Miami CF
Minnesota United FC
CF Montréal a
New England Revolution
Nashville SC
New York City FC a
New York Red Bulls a a
Orlando City SC
Philadelphia Union
Portland Timbers a a
Real Salt Lake a
Seattle Sounders FC a a a
San Diego FC
San Jose Earthquakes a a
Sporting Kansas City a
St. Louis City SC a
Toronto FC a a
Vancouver Whitecaps FC a a
First match(es) will be played: February 21, 2026. Source: MLS
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Notes

  1. ^ Announcement was made originally on April 18, 2025

References

  1. ^ Becherano, Lizzy (November 20, 2025). "MLS reveals 2026 schedule with 7-week break for World Cup". ESPN. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  2. ^ Garber, Don (20 February 2026). "A letter from Commissioner Don Garber". Retrieved 20 February 2026.
  3. ^ Sutcliffe, Steve (November 13, 2025). "MLS calendar to change in 2027 to align with top leagues". BBC Sport. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  4. ^ Rizzo, Lillian (November 13, 2025). "MLS games head to Apple TV in 2026 as Season Pass subscription ends". CNBC. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  5. ^ Spanberg, Erik (February 11, 2022). "Charlotte FC moving closer to sellout for season opener at Bank of America Stadium". Charlotte Business Journal. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  6. ^ McCaskill, Steve (November 17, 2022). "MLS clubs to promote Apple TV season pass with sleeve sponsorship". SportsPro. Archived from the original on November 17, 2022. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  7. ^ "Chicago Fire FC Kicks Off Multi-Year Partnership with Carvana as Official Online Auto Retailer and Front of Kit Sponsor – Chicago Fire FC". chicagofirefc. December 12, 2023. Archived from the original on December 13, 2023. Retrieved 2023-12-13.
  8. ^ "Columbus Crew announce official partnership with DHL Supply Chain, who will be featured on kit sleeve". Columbus Crew. 5 February 2025.
  9. ^ "Portland Timbers enter multi-year partnership with Bank of America to become front-of-jersey partner". Portland Timbers. December 9, 2025. Retrieved December 9, 2025.
  10. ^ Finley, Ryan (July 19, 2024). "San Diego FC announces jersey sponsor ahead of first Major League Soccer season". Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  11. ^ "Atlanta United Part Ways with Head Coach Ronny Deila". Atlanta United FC. October 19, 2025. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  12. ^ "Atlanta United names Gerardo "Tata" Martino as head coach". Atlanta United FC. November 6, 2025. Retrieved November 6, 2025.
  13. ^ "Colorado Rapids and Head Coach Chris Armas mutually agree to part ways". Colorado Rapids. October 27, 2025. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  14. ^ "Colorado Rapids appoint Matt Wells as head coach". Colorado Rapids. December 23, 2025. Retrieved December 23, 2025.
  15. ^ "New York Red Bulls part ways with Sandro Schwarz". Major League Soccer. October 27, 2025. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  16. ^ "Red Bull New York name Michael Bradley head coach". Major League Soccer. December 15, 2025. Retrieved December 15, 2025.
  17. ^ "New England Revolution hire Marko Mitrović as club's 10th head coach". New England Revolution. November 7, 2025. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  18. ^ "LAFC Announces Marc Dos Santos as Head Coach". Los Angeles FC. December 5, 2025. Retrieved December 5, 2025.
  19. ^ "Wilfried Nancy leaves Columbus Crew to coach Celtic FC". Major League Soccer. December 3, 2025. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  20. ^ "Columbus Crew name Henrik Rydström ninth head coach in Club history". Columbus Crew. December 31, 2025. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
  21. ^ "St. Louis CITY SC Appoints Yoann Damet as Head Coach". St. Louis City SC. December 16, 2025. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
  22. ^ "Sporting KC appoints Raphael Wicky as head coach". Sporting Kansas City. January 5, 2026. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
  23. ^ "Minnesota United Announces Eric Ramsay Departure". Minnesota United FC. January 11, 2026. Retrieved January 11, 2026.
  24. ^ "Minnesota United FC Promotes Cameron Knowles to Head Coach". Minnesota United FC. January 12, 2026. Retrieved January 12, 2026.
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