Major League Soccer's 2027 "sprint season" will begin on 19 February, with MLS Cup scheduled for Memorial Day weekend at the end of May. The opening match will see Inter Miami host FC Cincinnati at Nu Stadium.
One-off calendar change
The stopgap half-season is a one-off, as the league inverts its calendar to align with most top leagues around the world beginning with the 2027-28 season. The details of the change were initially announced in March.
Despite the transition, with Larry Berg preparing to take over as commissioner after Don Garber's decades-long reign and the schedule inversion better positioning the league in the global transfer market, there is continuity. The sprint season will commence as the last three have: with Inter Miami in the opening match.
Key matchups and structure
Other marquee matchups include a cold-weather Canadian Classique between Toronto FC and CF Montréal on 28 February, the Cascadia Derby between the Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers on 4 April, and the Hell is Real Derby between FC Cincinnati and the Columbus Crew on 24 April.
The sprint season will see teams face opponents only from within their conference, resulting in a 14-game slate with an even split of home and away matches. The season will still incorporate some Wednesdays, and teams will have occasional matchday offs across 17 matchweeks. The season concludes with Decision Day on 8 May, when each conference plays its full slate concurrently in consecutive time slots.
Postseason and broadcast details
The top eight teams in each conference will qualify for a single-elimination postseason, with MLS Cup planned for Memorial Day weekend (28-31 May). Every match will be streamed on Apple TV without local blackouts.
The schedule also appears to give MLS a chance to test playing late-winter matches in cold-climate markets at earlier hours. Minnesota United will open their season a week later than the rest of the league on 28 February, hosting Seattle for a 2 pm local kickoff. CF Montréal will play just one of their first six games at home. The Vancouver Whitecaps are involved, with Thomas Müller having announced he'll remain with the club for the sprint.
