MLS announces full 2026 regular season schedule: What will happen during the World Cup

M ajor League Soccer announced the schedule and broadcast details for the 2026 MLS regular season. The 2026 season will be highlighted by the opening of Inter Miami CF's new home at Miami Freedom Park in April and the FIFA World Cup 2026 this summer in North America. In preparation for the tournament, MLS will take a break, allowing participating players, local venues and fans to enjoy a month of World Cup action before celebrating the return of MLS matches in July.

All 510 MLS regular season matches in 2026 will be available on Apple TV in more than 100 countries and regions, offering fans a single destination to watch their favorite teams without restrictions. In addition, some selected MLS matches will also be available on the FOX Sports family of networks in the United States and on TSN and RDS in Canada.

The MLS regular season begins on Saturday, February 21, and each team will play 34 matches, 17 at home and 17 away. Teams will play conference rivals twice (28 matches), once at home and once away, and will play six different rivals from the opposite conference (six matches). The MLS regular season will culminate with the final day of action, Decision Day 2026 , on Saturday, November 7, to decide who is in and who is out of the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs 2026.

MLS star matches is the MLS is Back weekend on February 21 and 22

The 2026 season kicks off in style with a full slate of 15 opening matches on February 21 and 22. St. Louis CITY SC hosts Charlotte FC at Energizer Park to welcome the new season (2:30 p.m. ET, Apple TV) before FC Cincinnati hosts Tata Martino's Atlanta United at TQL Stadium for the first of 34 FOX Sports matches in 2026 (4:30 ET, FOX, FOX Deportes, Apple TV). The highlight of the evening will be Los Angeles Football Club taking on Inter Miami CF in an iconic setting, hosting the match at the legendary Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (9:30 p.m. ET, Apple TV). The following day will feature a doubleheader beginning when the LA Galaxy hosts New York City FC on Sunday Night Soccer presented by Continental Tire (7:00 p.m. ET, Apple TV), and FS1 would showcase the Western Conference clash between Seattle Sounders FC and Colorado Rapids (9:00 p.m. ET, FS1, FOX Deportes, Apple TV).

Inter Miami CF will play its inaugural match at the new Miami Freedom Park stadium on April 4

The 2026 regular season schedule features the introduction of the league's newest soccer-specific stadium, as Inter Miami CF hosts Austin FC for the inaugural match at the club's new 25,000-seat Miami Freedom Park on April 4 (7:30 p.m. ET, Apple TV). Inter Miami's new stadium is the first of three MLS stadiums to open in consecutive years, including New York City FC's new Etihad Park in 2027 and Chicago Fire FC's new downtown stadium in 2028.

MLS will pause league action during the FIFA World Cup 2026 from May 25 to July 16

While North America welcomes the world for the 2026 World Cup , MLS will take a break from matches, allowing participating players, host venues and fans to enjoy a full month of World Cup action. With a record number of MLS players expected on World Cup rosters, MLS will suspend league competition after matches on May 24, before FIFA's mandatory player reporting date of May 25 and before resuming at the end of the international tournament. Five MLS stadiums will host World Cup matches during the break, and many other additional venues serve as possible venues for national team base camps.

MLS action returns ahead of the 2026 World Cup final

Following the FIFA World Cup semifinals, the passion and energy of the 2026 World Cup will continue at club level with key MLS matches on July 16 and 17, ahead of the World Cup third-place match on Saturday, July 18 and the 2026 World Cup final on Sunday, July 19.

With matches showcasing the best of MLS in various regions of the United States and Canada, the eyes of the world will enjoy four MLS clashes on July 16, including the historic Cascadia rivalry between Seattle Sounders FC and Portland Timbers, and two featured matches on FOX Sports and Apple TV on July 17, including El Trafico between LA Galaxy and LAFC.

More details below:

Thursday, July 16, 2026

7:30 p.m. GMT

CF Montreal vs. Toronto FC (Stade Saputo, Apple TV)

8:30 p.m. ET

Chicago Fire vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC (Soldier Field, Apple TV)

8:30 p.m. GMT

St. Louis CITY SC vs. Sporting Kansas City (Energizer Park, Apple TV)

10:30 p.m. GMT

Seattle Sounders FC vs. Portland Timbers (Lumen Field, Apple TV)

Friday, July 17, 2026

8:00 p.m. ET

Nashville SC vs. Atlanta United (GEODIS Park, FOX Sports , FOX Deportes, Apple TV)

10:30 p.m. GMT

LA Galaxy vs. LAFC (Dignity Health Sports Park, FS1, FOX Deportes, Apple TV)

MLS All-Star Game 2026 in Charlotte on July 29

Charlotte FC will host the 2026 MLS All-Star Game at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina on Wednesday, July 29 (Apple TV). The MLS All-Star Skills Challenge presented by AT&T is scheduled for Tuesday, July 28. Additional details for the MLS All-Star Skills Challenge and the opponent for the 2026 MLS All-Star Game will be announced at a later date.

MLS Decision Day 2026 on November 7

The MLS regular season concludes with Decision Day 2026 on Saturday, November 7. The schedule, which includes Eastern Conference matches kicking off at 4:00 p.m. ET and Western Conference matches kicking off at 7:00 p.m. ET on Apple TV, decides who is in and who is out of the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs 2026. In addition, CF Montreal will host Vancouver Whitecaps FC in an interconference match at 4:00 p.m. ET on the final day of the season.

Uninterrupted action from the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs 2026 and MLS Cup 2026 presented by Audi

After Decision Day 2026 on November 7, the league will observe the November FIFA window before beginning a month of uninterrupted action in the 2026 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs, culminating in Major League Soccer's championship game, the 2026 MLS Cup presented by Audi. The full postseason schedule will be announced at a later date.

Every game on Apple TV

Starting next season, fans will be able to watch every regular season game with an Apple TV* subscription. Apple TV will stream every MLS game, complemented by studio programming and an extensive on-demand content lineup. Subscribers can enjoy MLS coverage alongside Apple TV's acclaimed selection of original series, movies, documentaries and sports offerings. In addition, an Apple TV subscription will be included as part of the 2026 full-season ticket packages with MLS clubs.

Returning for 2026 is Sunday Night Soccer presented by Continental Tire, a marquee match on Sunday nights with enhanced production and immersive pre- and post-game coverage that delves fans deeper into the matchday experience.

MLS on FOX Sports , TSN and RDS

Returning for the 12th consecutive season, FOX Sports will broadcast 34 MLS matches in 2026 in the United States, including 15 matches on FOX and 19 matches on FS1, with all FOX Sports broadcasts also offering Spanish-language coverage on FOX Deportes.

The full schedule of TSN and RDS regular season matches, which will include at least one match per week featuring a Canadian MLS club, will be announced in the coming weeks.