MLS in 2027: The 14-Game Sprint Season and the Move to a Summer Start
If you follow an MLS club, 2027 is the year your habits stop working. The season you know, February to December with 34 games, is ending. In its place: a 14-game season in the spring, then a brand new season that starts in July.
Two seasons in one calendar year. Here is what happens and when, in order.
Quick answer: 2026 ends with MLS Cup on Friday, December 18. February to May 2027 is a one-off 14-game "Sprint Season" with its own playoffs and its own MLS Cup. The first summer-to-spring season, 2027-28, starts in July 2027 and ends with MLS Cup in May 2028.
The 2026 run-in is on now. Add your club to Google Calendar or to your iPhone and what is left of this season is in your calendar in two minutes. One team is free for 14 days, no card. Season Pass is $47 a year and covers every team you follow.
The three seasons, side by side
| 2026 | 2027 Sprint Season | 2027-28 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular season | February 21 to November 7, 2026 | February to April 2027 | July 2027 to April 2028 |
| Games per team | 34 | 14 | Not announced in what we have seen |
| Who you play | Both conferences | Your own conference only, each team once | Not announced in what we have seen |
| Playoff teams | 9 per conference | 8 per conference, single elimination | Playoffs in May 2028 |
| MLS Cup | Friday, December 18, 2026 | May 2027 | May 2028 |
First, the end of 2026
This is the last season on the old calendar. The dates:
- Saturday, November 7: Decision Day, the last day of the regular season.
- Wednesday, November 18: Wild Card matches, after the November international break.
- November 20 to December 2: Round One, best of three.
- December 5 and 6: Conference semifinals.
- December 11 and 12: Conference finals.
- Friday, December 18: MLS Cup.
Then the Sprint Season: February to May 2027
The league needed something to fill the gap between a season that ends in December and one that starts in July. The answer is a short season that counts.
- 14 games per team. Seven at home, seven away.
- Conference only. There are 15 teams in each conference, so you play each of the other 14 once.
- Top eight in each conference make the playoffs. Every round is single elimination.
- MLS Cup is in May 2027.
It is not a preseason tournament. Five Concacaf Champions Cup places and 18 Leagues Cup places are decided by it.
What it means for you as a fan: seven home games instead of seventeen, no visits from the other conference, and every game worth more. Fourteen games is not long enough to recover from a bad March.
The league announced the format on March 19, 2026 and said the schedule would follow. We have not seen the fixtures published yet.
Then 2027-28: the season that starts in summer
MLS owners voted in November 2025 to move to a summer-to-spring calendar, the same shape as the big European leagues.
- Start: July 2027.
- Winter break: mid-December to early February. No league matches in January.
- End of the regular season: April 2028.
- Playoffs and MLS Cup: May 2028.
The practical changes: no more playoffs in the cold of December, a real break in the middle of winter, and a season whose biggest games are in the spring.
Where to watch
Every MLS match is on Apple TV. Since the 2026 season the matches are included with an Apple TV subscription; the separate MLS Season Pass is gone.
What to do with your calendar
Right now, the useful thing is the 2026 run-in.
- Open your club's page: Inter Miami, LAFC, Seattle Sounders, Atlanta United, or find yours on the MLS page.
- Tap Try [your club] free for 14 days.
- Type your email and pick Apple, Google or Outlook. The email is where your backup link goes. No card.
- Tap the add button. Matches land with kick-off in your own timezone.
Now the honest part. The Sprint Season fixtures are not published, so they are not in anybody's calendar, ours included. When the league releases them we will add them. We are not going to tell you they are already there.
If you saved a 2026 schedule as a file or a screenshot, it stops being useful on December 18. A subscribed calendar is a link your calendar app keeps checking, which is the difference that matters in a year with two seasons.
MLS 2027 FAQ
How many games are in the 2027 MLS season?
The 2027 Sprint Season is 14 regular-season games per team, seven at home and seven away, all against teams in your own conference.
When does the 2027 MLS Sprint Season start?
February 2027. The regular season runs through April, and the playoffs and MLS Cup are in May 2027. The league had not published exact dates when we last checked.
When does the 2027-28 MLS season start?
July 2027. It pauses from mid-December to early February and ends with the playoffs and MLS Cup in May 2028.
Why is MLS changing its calendar?
Owners voted in November 2025 to move from a spring-to-fall season to a summer-to-spring season, in line with the major European leagues.
When is MLS Cup 2026?
Friday, December 18, 2026. It is the last MLS Cup on the old calendar.
Start with the season that is actually on
The format changes twice in the next ten months. The matches left in 2026 are the ones you can watch now.
Pick your MLS club and try it free for 14 days
The trial is one team, no card. Season Pass is $47 a year and covers every team and league you follow, on the same calendar link.
Related: How many games in an MLS season? · Printable vs subscribed schedules