Major League Soccer (MLS) announced Thursday that it will align its calendar with that of the major European leagues starting in 2027 and introduce changes to the regular season and playoff format.
The MLS season will now run from the end of July to the end of May, with a winter break in January, instead of the current calendar year-based schedule.
MLS will have a transition season
After the 2025 and 2026 seasons, a transitional campaign will be played in 2027, from February to May.
This is before the definitive adoption of the new calendar that will start in July.
“This is an opportunity to eliminate the competition we have for space in our current ‘playoffs’ at a very saturated time of year,” MLS commissioner Don Garber said at a press conference.
“In addition, it allows us to align with international transfer windows, something we consider extremely important,” he added.
The decision was approved Thursday during a meeting in Palm Beach (Florida) by the MLS Board of Governors.
Format changes are being prepared
In addition to the calendar, the league plans to introduce changes to its format.
It is currently divided into two conferences (East and West) with 15 teams each, although no decisions were announced.
“As part of this transition, we are working intensively on a new regular season format and, potentially, a new ‘playoff’ format. All of that is in process,” explained Garber.
“No final decisions have been made yet, but we hope to move forward and be able to announce news soon,” he added.
With information from EFE
Brief history of MLS
Major League Soccer (MLS) was born in 1993 as part of the United States’ commitment to host the 1994 World Cup.
Its first season was played in 1996 with only 10 teams and an experimental format designed to appeal to the American public.
After difficult years and the risk of disappearance, the league reemerged in the 2000s with the arrival of international figures such as David Beckham, who revolutionized the market and global visibility.
Since then, MLS has steadily grown to more than 25 teams, invested in youth academies and established itself as a competitive and expanding league.
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