MIAMI (AP) — Lionel Messi and Inter Miami will play their first Major League Soccer game at their new stadium on April 4, one of the highlights of the league’s schedule announced Thursday.
The 2026 MLS regular season will begin on February 21st and run until November 7th. This will be the last season of the February-November model, and a shortened season is planned for 2027. After that, a new calendar from summer to spring is planned for the 2027-28 season in order to collaborate with other world leagues.
Inter Miami will open the season with five straight road games, possibly allowing for the finishing touches to be placed on the team’s home base, Miami Freedom Park, which is still under construction near Miami International Airport. It is not yet clear whether the stadium will host pre-season or other matches before April 4.
Inter Miami’s home opener against Austin FC will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the new 25,000-seat stadium. Messi signed a three-year contract extension in recent weeks that will keep him with the club until 2028, and the deal’s completion confirms that he will be there to start in the new facility, as the team had long desired.
The opening of Miami Freedom Park kicks off plans for three new MLS stadiums in three seasons, with New York City FC’s Etihad Park scheduled to open in 2027 and Chicago Fire FC’s new downtown stadium scheduled to open in 2028.
world cup holiday
The FIFA World Cup will be suspended for approximately two months, with no matches scheduled from May 25th to July 16th.
The final games before the suspension include Inter Miami vs. Philadelphia, followed by LAFC vs. Seattle, in a doubleheader on FOX on May 24th.
The MLS season will resume just before the end of the World Cup. MLS has several rivalry games scheduled on July 16 and 17, ahead of the third-place match on July 18 and the World Cup final on July 19.
tv contract
All 510 MLS regular season games next season will be available on Apple TV in more than 100 countries and territories, with no outages or additional subscriptions required. Select MLS matches are also available on TSN and RDS in Canada, as well as on the FOX network in the United States.
MLS returns February 21-22
Fifteen games will be played over the opening weekend of the season, February 21st and 22nd. Among them: St. Louis City SC hosts Charlotte FC on February 21st, before coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino returns and FC Cincinnati takes on Atlanta United.
Also that night, Messi and Inter Miami open the season against LAFC at the iconic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Among the schedule for February 22nd is the LA Galaxy hosting New York City FC on Sunday Night Soccer on Apple TV, followed by Seattle Sounders FC and Colorado Rapids playing on FS1.
all star game
The MLS All-Star Game will be held in Charlotte on July 29, the day after the Skills Challenge. Opponents for the MLS All-Star Game have not yet been announced.
No break in the playoffs
The league plans to abide by FIFA’s November window before the playoffs begin, which will allow the postseason to be played without interruption starting Nov. 18.
The league has not released a complete postseason schedule.
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