Major League Soccer today announced the details of its 2027 MLS “Sprint Season,” the mini-season that MLS will play in the first half of 2027 as MLS transitions to its new calendar aligned with more of the world’s top soccer leagues.
The “Sprint Season” will kick off in February 2027 and culminate with Playoffs and the 2027 MLS Cup in May. The league will crown an MLS Cup champion with all the international competition implications for the 2028 Concacaf Champions Cup and Leagues Cup.
The Sprint Season will see each MLS team play 14 regular-season games from February to April, facing each of their 14 conference opponents once, with seven matches at home and seven matches away.
The top eight teams in each of the two conferences will qualify for the 2027 MLS Cup Playoffs in a single-elimination bracket format.
2027 MLS Sprint Season Details
- All teams will play 14 regular-season games, playing each conference one time
- All teams will play seven home games and seven away games in the regular season.
- The top eight teams from each conference will qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs.
- Five Concacaf Champions Cup berths will be determined by 2027 MLS Sprint Season results.
- 18 teams will qualify for Leagues Cup, nine from each conference.
The New MLS Competition Calendar
Beginning in the summer of 2027, MLS will adopt a summer-to-spring season format, aligning MLS with the world’s top leagues and marking one of the most significant developments in the league’s history.
The 2027-28 MLS regular season will kick off in July 2027 and conclude with the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs and MLS Cup presented by Audi in May 2028.
Like many other major international leagues, MLS will observe a midwinter break from mid-December through early February, with no league matches scheduled in January.