MLS details shortened 2027 season format

TROY HULL | THE CHARLOTTE POST

Major League soccer's going to a 14-match schedule in 2027 to prepare for summer-to-spring play starting with the 2027-28 season.

Major League Soccer’s 2027 season is a literal sprint into the future.

The league’s truncated 14-game campaign is a transition to a 2028 summer-to-spring schedule that aligns with the world’s top leagues. MLS teams will play 20 fewer regular season games when the season kicks off in February but keeps its postseason format, including MLS Cup. The 2027 schedule will be announced later.

The sprint season, which concludes in April, will also determine international competition, including qualification for the 2028 Concacaf Champions Cup and Leagues Cup. Five Champions Cup berths will be determined by the sprint season’s results, and 18 clubs will qualify for Leagues Cup, nine from each conference.

Regular season matches will consist of intra-conference play only, with one match between teams – seven at home and seven on the road. The top eight teams in each conference will qualify for a single-elimination playoff. The Eastern and Western winners will square off in a single match, winner-takes-all MLS Cup.

The 2027-28 campaign will kick off in July 2027 and end with MLS Cup playd in May 2028. There’ll be a winter break from mid-December to early February with no matches in January.

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