MLS Pauses 7 Weeks for 2026 World Cup: Messi and Miami Debut, Schedule Revealed

MLS Adjusts Its Schedule for the 2026 World Cup

Major League Soccer (MLS) is preparing for a seven-week break next summer, adapting to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The announcement was made on Thursday, revealing the MLS schedule for 2026. The season will begin with an exciting match between Inter Miami and LAFC at the Los Angeles Coliseum on February 21, and the regular season will end on November 7. Additionally, the 2026 MLS calendar highlights the debut of Inter Miami’s new stadium, Miami Freedom Park, on April 4th. Lionel Messi and his team will host Austin FC in the inaugural match. Currently, the team plays at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The league will stop from May 25 to July 16 to allow players to participate in the World Cup with their national teams. In the past, MLS has only had short breaks during the tournament, such as a nine-day break in 2018 and two weeks in 2014. The World Cup will begin on June 11th with the opening match in Mexico City.

With a record number of MLS players participating in the World Cup, the league will pause play after the matches on May 24, before the FIFA mandatory player reporting date on May 25, and will resume at the end of the international tournament.

The league

The MLS regular season will resume on July 16, three days before the World Cup final, with some teams participating in rivalry matches. Inter Miami and LAFC will kick off the season before the rest of the clubs play on Sunday, February 22nd. Each team will play 34 games, 17 at home and 17 away. As in previous seasons, clubs will continue to face their conference rivals twice a year and participate in six inter-conference games. The regular season will conclude on November 7, known as “Decision Day”, before the playoffs begin on November 18, after the FIFA international window, to avoid interruptions during the postseason. After the “Decision Day” on November 7, 2026, the league will observe the FIFA window in November before beginning a month of uninterrupted action of the 2026 MLS Cup Audi playoffs, culminating in the Major League Soccer championship match, the 2026 MLS Cup. The complete postseason schedule will be announced at a later date.