MLS announces ‘sprint season’ schedule, with accommodations for cold-weather locales

Season will begin on 19 February in MiamiMLS Cup due to be played on Memorial Day weekendDecision Day lands on 8 MayMajor League Soccer’s 2027 “sprint season” will begin on 19 February, with MLS Cup taking place during Memorial Day weekend at the end of May.The stopgap half-season is a one-off, as the North American league inverts its calendar to align with most top leagues around the world beginning with the 2027-28 season. The nuts and bolts of the change were initially announced in March. Continue reading…

The short season will begin on 19 February in Miami, with MLS Cup due to be played on Memorial Day weekend MLS Cup due to be played on Memorial Day weekend Major League Soccer’s 2027 “sprint season” will begin on 19 February, with MLS Cup taking place during Memorial Day weekend at the end of May. The stopgap half-season is a one-off, as the North American league inverts its calendar to align with most top leagues around the world beginning with the 2027-28 season. The nuts and bolts of the change were initially announced in March.

For all of the change the league is undergoing, with Larry Berg readying to take over as commissioner after Don Garber’s decades-long reign and the schedule inversion better positioning the league in the global transfer market, there is one bit of continuity. The sprint season will commence as the last three have: with Inter Miami in the opening match, this time welcoming FC Cincinnati to Nu Stadium on 19 February. Jonathan Wilson and Guardian journalists bring expert analysis and