MLS to kick off 2026 regular season with St. Louis CITY SC hosting Charlotte FC, Inter Miami to open Miami Freedom Park on April 4

Lionel Messi, Son Heung-Min, and Thomas Muller will begin their 2026 MLS campaigns on opening day. Son and LAFC will face Messi’s Inter Miami CF at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Feb. 21, while Müller and Vancouver Whitecaps FC open their home slate the same day against Real Salt Lake at BC Place. Both fixtures rank among the marquee matchups of the MLS is Back weekend.

The inaugural match at Miami Freedom Park will see Inter Miami CF host Austin FC in the first game at the club’s new 25,000-seat stadium. The venue replaces DRV PNK Stadium as Miami’s permanent home and features upgraded facilities, expanded hospitality areas, and a downtown-adjacent location. The April 4 opener is one of the key dates on the 2026 MLS schedule.

Miami Freedom Park is also the first of three new MLS stadiums set to open in consecutive years, followed by NYCFC’s Etihad Park in 2027 and Chicago Fire FC’s new downtown stadium in 2028.

MLS will pause league play from May 25 through July 16 to accommodate the FIFA World Cup 2026, hosted across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. This break allows MLS players participating in the tournament, as well as fans and venues, to focus on the World Cup experience. Five MLS stadiums will serve as World Cup venues, with additional sites acting as national team base camps.

All 510 regular-season fixtures in 2026 will stream on Apple TV in more than 100 countries, with no local blackouts, as MLS integrates its package into Apple’s main service rather than a separate Season Pass. Select matches will continue to air on linear partners in the U.S. - including a slate of games on the FOX family of networks - while TSN and RDS will carry select Canadian broadcasts. The change positions Apple TV as the single global home for live MLS coverage next season.

Following the World Cup semifinals, MLS will return with a series of high-profile rivalry matches on July 16 and 17, building excitement as the World Cup bronze final and final take place on July 18 and 19. This scheduling aims to harness the momentum from the global tournament and re-energize the league’s fanbase for the remainder of the season.