major league soccer The league plans to play a shortened 14-game regular season in early 2027 before switching to a schedule more consistent with the International League.
The league announced Thursday that the so-called “sprint season” will run from February to May 2027, with each of the league’s 30 teams playing 14 games (seven at home and seven on the road) against only conference opponents.
The top eight teams from each conference advance to the single-elimination MLS Cup Playoffs, culminating in the championship game between the Eastern and Western Conference champions. Based on their performance during the sprint season, five teams will qualify for the 2028 CONCACAF Champions Cup and 18 teams, nine from each conference, will qualify for the 2028 League Cup.
The league will then move on to the 2027-28 season, which begins in July 2027. The playoffs and league championship will take place in May 2028.
transition to Calendar from summer to spring The aim is to put MLS in a more competitive position for player transfers during the summer, when many major international tournaments will be held, while also freeing up players for national team duties. The season begins in February and concludes with the MLS Cup Final in December.
MLS owners voted in favor of the transfer last year.
MLS’ new schedule includes a long winter break, with only a few games played in early December and no games in January, before resuming in early to mid-February.
“This is an opportunity for us to eliminate playoff competition, because the playoffs exist at a very busy time of year,” MLS Commissioner Don Garber said when the new season format was approved. “This allows us to align with the international transfer market, which we think is very important. It gives us a wide range of opportunities to expand our ability to follow this path to becoming one of the top leagues in the world.”
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