Just like last season, there are 30 teams in Major League Soccer for 2026 and an equal number of teams in the Eastern and Western Conferences. In this World Cup summer, there is a lot of focus on MLS and the players in contention for making national team rosters. That certainly includes the USMNT, with several key players on MLS squads. Standings tables and the full playoff bracket will be updated here as the season progresses.
Updated on February 16, 2026.
How to watch MLS in 2026
The MLS coverage on Apple TV becomes part of the regular subscription this season, no longer requiring a separate package. That means a paid subscription to Apple TV also gets you the MLS games. Just like last season, 34 games are also available on Fox Sports, with 15 of those on FOX network TV.
What’s the schedule?
The MLS regular season schedule begins on February 21 and runs through November 7. Each team plays 34 games divided between home and away, with six of those games out of conference. As is the standard with MLS schedules, that means some MLS teams won’t play each other this season. From May 25 to July 16 MLS will not be playing due to the World Cup. This is the final season using the current February through December calendar. MLS will run a short season next Spring before switching to a season that runs from July to May.
What about the US Open Cup?
Once again, 16 MLS teams will play in the US Open Cup with no change from last year. This time, the MLS teams involved are the ones that aren’t playing in the Concacaf Champions Cup or the Leagues Cup. Those 16 MLS teams enter in the round of 32 on April 14-15, with eight of them hosting games. The round of 16 is set for April 28-29, the quarterfinals from May 19-20, the semifinals on September 15-16, and the final on October 21. Carolina Core and Chattanooga FC are the only MLS Next Pro teams in this year’s tournament, with both of those teams unaffiliated with an MLS club.
And the Leagues Cup
That starts on August 4 and runs through September 6, again with every Liga MX team and a matching 18 teams from MLS to complete the 32-team field. The MLS teams are the top nine finishers from each conference last season. We have a full rundown of the 2026 Leagues Cup along with the participating teams.
What about the rules?
It’s an annual struggle here to keep it top level and not delve too deeply into the minutia of the MLS roster rules and regulations. With that caveat firmly in place, here are some of the bullet point highlights from this season’s version.
- 30 players on active roster
- 20 players on senior roster
- Senior roster has a $6,425,000 cap
- No requirement to fill slots 19 and 20
- Max for single player is $803,125
- Supplemental roster does not count against cap
- Max 11 players on supplemental roster
- Slots 21-24 get at least minimum base – $113,400
- Slots 25-30 get at least minimum reserve – $88,025
- Slot 31 is for a loaned player and the loan has to be to a lower division North American club
- Homegrown players in slots 21-30 may receive an additional $125k
- 241 international slots divided among the 30 clubs and tradeable with no limit per club
When are the transfer windows in 2026?
The first MLS transfer window began on January 26 and closes on March 26. The second window opens on July 13 and closes on September 2. The roster freeze deadline is October 9.
MLS roundups:
- Inter Miami and Vancouver advance to MLS Cup
- Vancouver advances on penalties, Inter Miami scores four at Cincinnati
- MLS 2025 Round One finales
- MLS Round One: Philadelphia and Vancouver advance
- MLS Round One: Inter Miami beat Nashville, Philadelphia wins on penalties
- MLS Week 37: Five goals for Inter Miami, four for Toronto
