Major League Soccer’s owners have voted to shift the league calendar to align with Europe’s top leagues and FIFA’s international calendar starting in 2027, with MLS moving to a July-to-May schedule.
MLS will even move from a two-conference format to a single-table competition that features five six-team divisions, The Athletic reported. The league didn’t discuss its formatting plan while announcing the schedule change.
The MLS Players Association might want to log out on the plan, and in its announcement, the MLS said it’s “continuing to work with the MLSPA to finalize agreement on a transition plan.”
The changes come after roughly two years of debate over the concept inside MLS circles and after speculation had circulated that the league had hoped to implement the change in time for 2026 after the World Cup.
The calendar change was boasted by the league in its official announcement as a way for MLS as a option to position itself higher through the global transfer windows, “maximize player signings” and “elevate the playoffs.”
“The calendar shift is one of the necessary decisions in our history,” MLS Commissioner Don Garber said in a press release. “Aligning our schedule with the world’s top leagues will strengthen our clubs’ global competitiveness, create higher opportunities within the transfer market, and ensure our Audi MLS Cup Playoffs take center stage without interruption. It marks the beginning of a brand new era for our league and for soccer in North America.”
The brand new calendar will go into effect in July 2027 after MLS holds a transition season from February to May of that 12 months, which can include a 14-game regular season, playoffs and MLS Cup, with the outcomes determining the 2027 qualification for the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, Canadian Championship, Leagues Cup, and Concacaf Champions Cup.
The playoff format remains to be being determined under the brand new calendar.
MLS will even have a break from mid-December through early February.
Among the many vocal proponents of the change has been Latest York City FC and club CEO Brad Sims.
“Today’s announcement marks an exciting, latest era for Major League Soccer,” Sims said in a press release Thursday. “Throughout this process the League has conducted, Latest York City FC have been supportive of this alteration and applaud the choice as a positive consequence to proceed growing MLS. Soccer is already seeing incredible levels of growth in North America, and aligning the League’s schedule to follow the international calendar provides us with the most effective opportunity to proceed constructing off this momentum. Especially with the much-anticipated FIFA World Cup 26 coming next summer, followed shortly by the opening of our future home in Etihad Park, this decision couldn’t come at a greater time.
“We stay up for competing under this latest league format and welcoming everyone to Etihad Park for its inaugural season in 2027.”
A Red Bulls spokesperson declined to comment when reached by The Post on Thursday.
A knock on the flip has been concerning the impact on northern markets that may see increased games played in cold-weather months, though the league believes its adding only a small variety of games outside the window it currently plays in, in line with The Athletic.
Garber also noted to reporters in Florida after the announcement that the change will move the MLS playoffs out of a “cluttered” time of 12 months for sports, though with MLS playoffs now slated to fall in June, they might run up against the NBA and NHL playoffs in addition to the MLB regular season.
