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The 2026 MLS schedule will feature an unprecedented break in play during the FIFA men’s World Cup and the long-awaited opening of Inter Miami’s new stadium.
For the first time in league history, there will be no matches played during the majority of a summer edition of the World Cup. MLS will pause action for seven weeks from May 25 to July 16, as FIFA’s signature tournament is played in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. The league will restart after the World Cup semifinals. All clubs will still play the standard 34 regular-season matches, though.
In 2022, when the Qatar World Cup was pushed to November and December to avoid extreme heat, MLS moved the finish of its season up by about a month to finish before the global tournament started.
But in 2018, MLS paused for just nine days during the World Cup in Russia, after taking breaks of roughly two weeks in 2014 (Brazil) and 2010 (South Africa). MLS, which launched in 1996, did not take World Cup breaks in 2006, 2002, or 1998.
A record number of MLS players are expected to make World Cup rosters next summer, and five league stadiums will host matches.
The new scheduling strategy comes as MLS prepares to shift to a fall-to-spring calendar in 2027 to align with top international leagues. That will include a shortened 14-match bridge season that will run from February through May 2027. Once the calendar shift takes place, future summer World Cups (the 2034 edition in Saudi Arabia may be moved to the fall) will take place during the MLS offseason.
Turning Up the Heat
Inter Miami will play its first MLS match at its new stadium April 4 against Austin FC.
The 25,000-seat venue has been under construction since 2023, with an estimated cost between $350 million and $450 million, as part of a larger, roughly $1 billion Miami Freedom Park mixed-use development.
Originally, Inter Miami was hoping to open the stadium this season, in an effort to capitalize on the presence of Lionel Messi. Thankfully for the club and MLS, he recently signed a contract extension through 2028.
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