MLS shifting to a summer-spring calendar
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MLS is making a major season calendar change starting in 2027.
Why it matters: The move will align MLS with most of world soccer, including Europe's Big Five leagues and FIFA's international calendar.
- The change takes MLS playoffs out of football season, avoids postseason-disrupting international breaks and improves player transfer logistics.
Driving the news: The league has flirted with this shift for more than a decade.
- With the 2026 World Cup approaching, enough momentum built for MLS owners to finally approve the shift last week.
State of play: MLS regular seasons currently run from late February to mid-October, with playoffs through mid-December.
What's next: Starting in the 2027-2028 season, MLS will begin play in July and conclude playoffs in late May.
- The league will prepare with a miniature "transition season" from February-May 2027.
Plus: The calendar change comes with an adjustment to the league's structure, The Athletic reports.
- MLS will reportedly move from an East/West split to a "single-table" model with five divisions of six teams.
- The league has not announced those details.
Between the lines: Global schedule alignment should drastically change the way MLS teams buy and sell international players who currently end their seasons halfway through annual MLS play.
What they're saying: "We are losing money on the table every summer," one MLS executive told The Athletic.
The other side: This change also shifts toward cold-weather months and away from summer matches.
- Fans in colder markets are frustrated by November and February matches replacing summer games.
- It's expected that cold-weather teams will have more away games in winter months.
What we're watching: MLS still needs to share specifics about the transition season, playoff format, divisional realignment and impact on competitions like Leagues Cup and Campeones Cup.