Major League Soccer's Board of Governors has voted to align the regular season with the international soccer calendar, moving the regular season to a summer/spring campaign beginning in 2027.
Unlike most international leagues, MLS currently plays on a February to November calendar.
“Shifting the calendar is one of the most important decisions in our history,” MLS Commissioner Don Garber said in a press release. “Aligning our schedule with the world's leading leagues will strengthen the global competitiveness of our clubs, create better opportunities in the transfer market and ensure uninterrupted exposure to the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs.
“This marks the beginning of a new era for our league and soccer in North America.”
The change will see the season begin in mid-July and run through the spring, with Decision Day in April and the MLS Cup Playoffs in May. MLS will use the winter break to prioritize player recovery, suspending activities from mid-December to early to mid-February.
More than 90% of games are expected to be played at the site currently used by the league.
The shift in the upcoming calendar will see MLS align with international transfer windows, making it easier for clubs to participate in the global transfer market. According to the current calendar, the main MLS transfer window runs from January 31 to April 23, while most international leagues transfer players during the traditional summer window.
In 2027, MLS will play a shortened season from February to May to crown the MLS Cup champion before the league officially switches to the summer/spring calendar.
“We will have an MLS regular season. We will have a regular season in which the MLS champion will be crowned, we will award spots in the Concacaf Champions Cup based on performance in that MLS season,” said Nelson Rodriguez, MLS Executive Vice President of Sports and Competition. “We expect the US Open Cup and Canadian Championship to continue to exist, and we will also ensure that this MLS season is a League Cup qualifier.
“Fewer matches, fewer matches for the season overall, but with full playoffs and an MLS Cup championship.”
Nelson later confirmed that a vote had been taken on the format of the competition, although details of the changes continue to be discussed.
Although the board of governors approved the move, the league is still working out the details with the MLS Players Association and could face a stumbling block. Rodriguez said there has been “a very good dialogue” with the MLSPA. Another source said discussions were “fluctuating.”
Sources told ESPN that the main issue for the MLSPA was the league's reluctance to commit to tight deadlines in terms of schedule changes as well as the length of the offseason. If the offseason is too short, it could make moving players through free agency – something the MLSPA has fought for through numerous collective bargaining agreements – difficult.
Negotiations for the latest CBA, ratified in 2021, were contentious as the league twice demanded a renegotiation, which resulted in the reversal of a significant amount of the gains the MLSPA had made at the negotiating table.
The first rollback resulted in the MLSPA giving up $150 million over the life of the agreement to avoid payroll cuts. MLS was also able to extend the CBA by an additional two years until 2027.
Most recently, the two sides clashed over FIFA Club World Cup bonuses. It is not surprising that the union is trying to exert some influence in negotiations with MLS.
Garber had previously teased the possibility of a calendar change, saying alignment with international leagues made sense. Although the governing board failed to pass the proposal during its summer meeting, the topic continued to be discussed before being finally confirmed Thursday.
“We're not making any announcements today, but we continue to do a lot of work with our fans, with our partners, with all of our chief football officers and with our clubs to get to the point where we can make that decision,” Garber said in July. “But we think alignment makes sense.”
ESPN's Jeff Carlisle contributed to this report.
