It was announced on Thursday that MLS owners have approved the league moving to a Summer-to-Spring schedule starting in the 2027-2028 season. The 2027-2028 season would start in August 2027, and the post-season would conclude in May of 2028. The league would take a six-week winter break from mid-December until early February. As part of the transition to the new season format, a “mini” 2027 season will take place from February until May of 2027. The season will consist of a 14-game regular season, playoffs, and MLS Cup.
Moving to a Summer-to-Spring schedule will align MLS with the biggest leagues in Europe, including the English Premier League, Spain’s La Liga, and Germany’s Bundesliga. Most teams complete their transfer business in the off-season, so this alignment should also make the process of player acquisition go more smoothly.
Notably, the schedule change will alleviate the issue of international breaks occurring at inopportune times for MLS clubs. Previously, players would miss MLS regular season matches during the summer to play in tournaments like the Gold Cup and the Olympics for their national teams. Currently there is also an international break between the first and second rounds of the playoffs, which destroys the league’s momentum.
There have been some concerns raised that this change could lead to issues with attendance. Carter Chapley reported that according to initial MLS projections, over 90% of the games played in the 2027-2028 season would take place in the same time frame as they would if the schedule was not changed.
Even though the MLS owners have approved of the schedule change, the players must agree. ESPN reported that the dialogue between the two sides is very good, but there are some sticking points. The major issues appear to be the lack of hard dates for the schedule and assurances about the length of the off-season. The Collective Bargaining Agreement between the players and league is set to expire at the end of 2027, so this will also need to be resolved.
CST will follow this story and provide updates as they become available.
Follow Cincinnati Soccer Talk for the latest on this story and all your FCC news
Recommended for you
