The MLS season starts this weekend, as the league grows to 30 teams, who will compete for the next nine months before a champion is crowned in December.
That could change as early as 2026, with MLS deliberating the pros and cons of a permanent schedule shift to run on the traditional fall-to-spring calendar that global soccer uses. If that happens, MLS would likely restart its 2026 season in August after the FIFA World Cup that will be played in North America.
“All of us are looking for different moments to be able to keep fans’ attention,” MLS commissioner Don Garber said in an interview with Front Office Sports this week.
Right now, MLS starts its season shortly after the Super Bowl, but its playoffs take place in the fall during the NFL’s regular season. “We’re actually in competition with the other major leagues even more now,” Garber said.
While the clock is ticking, MLS is open to all options. “The most important part of any league’s competition is your playoffs and your final, and we’re right smack in the busiest time in the major leagues and that’s part of our decision-making,” Garber said. “Do we move it to May? Do we move it to June? So, we have to figure all that out.”
Expansion Not Done
With the launch of the expansion franchise San Diego FC, MLS joins the NBA and MLB at 30 clubs each. The NFL has 32, as does the NHL, which is exploring options to grow even larger.
What number will MLS land on? “At 20 I thought we’d never get to 22—22 I never thought we’d get to 24, and on and on,” Garber said. “I don’t know the answer to that.” Still, there appears to be a fast-approaching ceiling. “I’ve given up predicting when MLS will stop expanding,” he said. “But it’s hard to imagine you would get past 32.”
San Diego’s ownership group paid a $500 million expansion fee, which is evidence of the value MLS provides. “The original investment was a couple million dollars in 1996 and averaging now almost $700 million,” Garber said of franchise valuations.
“The good news is there’s a return on their investment,” he added. “Whether there’s a team sale or a limited sale, over the last number of years, people who put money into MLS teams get a good return.”
