What You Need to Know About the MLS Schedule Change
What MNUFC Fans Should Know About the MLS Schedule Change
What MNUFC Fans Should Know About the MLS Schedule Change

A new era of Major League Soccer is set to begin in 2027, as the league transitions to a new summer-to-spring competition calendar that better aligns with the global football calendar. It’s a pivotal inflection point for the league and for our club, as MLS takes another important step toward its goal of becoming a top player on the global stage. 

For Minnesota United fans, a change like this brings about a good deal of excitement, a few hesitations, and plenty of questions about exactly how this will all work. On this page, you’ll find responses to a number of questions we anticipate our fans may have. And as additional information is confirmed, we’ll keep this page updated with the latest.

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Why is Major League Soccer making this change?

This change will address a number of current scheduling challenges and bring about several meaningful improvements that will help MLS bring in and retain top talent, elevate the overall quality of play, and make the on-field product more entertaining for fans. Here are a few specific ways in which this change will support those goals:

1. Better integration with the global transfer market

More than any other sport, soccer consists of a global ecosystem, in which it is absolutely crucial for a league like MLS to maintain a strong international transfer pipeline. MLS is currently on a different calendar than most of the world’s top leagues, a reality that both impedes top players from coming into MLS and suppresses the market for outbound transfers. By better aligning the MLS schedule with the global football calendar, it will be easier for MLS teams to bring in top players, as well as get maximum return for their outgoing transfers.

2. Shifting of primary transfer window to the offseason

Right now, the primary MLS transfer window is in the middle of the season, which creates some real challenges on both the incoming and outgoing side. 

 As MNUFC experienced firsthand in 2025 with the mid-season transfer of Tani Oluwaseyi, it's challenging to lose a key contributor with two months remaining in the season, even when it's a great opportunity for both the club and the player.

The challenges are just as pronounced on the inbound side, as new transfers currently arrive with something like eight games left in the season and are immediately thrust into a high-pressure playoff push, with little time to acclimate. Under this new format, new signings will arrive in the offseason, with more time to settle in prior to the first match.

3. Better alignment with FIFA windows

Loons’ fans are all too familiar with those stretches where the team would be forced to play without several key contributors who are away on international duty. Under this new format, that issue will be significantly reduced, if not entirely eliminated, as MLS will align their schedule to minimize overlap with FIFA windows. 

It’s also worth noting that it's every player's dream to suit up for their national team, and a league that prioritizes alignment with FIFA windows is more likely to bring in and retain top talent. 

4. Better timing for cup competitions

Under the current format, the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs begin in October and conclude in December, a timeframe that not only runs into some colder weather in northern markets, it also has the challenge of being broken up by an international break in the middle. By shifting the playoffs to May, the league will be able to enjoy an uninterrupted stretch of playoff games during a warmer time of the year, with less competition against other major U.S. sports.

Additionally, the format for Concacaf Champions Cup currently places MLS teams at a disadvantage, as they’re starting this tournament during what is essentially the MLS preseason. This schedule flip will better align the MLS schedule with important international tournaments like CCC and position MLS clubs to show up at their best on the biggest stages.

What does this mean for 2026 season?

Absolutely nothing. The 2026 season is entirely unaffected.

What will the new schedule look like?

The new schedule will see the regular season annually kick off in the month of July, with approximately 2/3 of the season played between the middle of July and the middle of December. The league will then take a two-month winter break from mid-December until early February, with the potential for friendlies and other tournaments to be played during that window. Regular-season play will resume in early February and continue through the end of April, with the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs occurring during the month of May. A shortened offseason will run from June through mid-July, with the following season kicking off in mid-July.

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How will the league initially make this transition?

As part of a one-time transition plan, MLS will host a Sprint Season at the beginning of 2027 that will include 14 regular-season games played between February and May, with the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs played during the month of May 2027. This abbreviated season will still have the full weight of an MLS Cup and Concacaf Champions Cup qualification on the line. You can find additional details about the Sprint Season here.

From there, the league will break until the middle of July 2027, at which point they will kick off the new calendar format, featuring 34 regular-season games played between July of 2027 and April of 2028, with the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs being played in the month of May 2028.

2026 Comparison

Will MNUFC host home games at Allianz Field during the winter?

In total, the number of games hosted at Allianz Field during the coldest months of December, January, and February should be very similar to the current schedule (likely zero in December, zero in January, and one at the end of February). The entire league will break from mid-December to early February. MLS has also indicated that they will strategically build the schedule to minimize the number of home games in cold-weather markets in the winter months, as well as allow for more afternoon start times in colder weather.

How will this impact other competitions such as U.S. Open Cup, Leagues Cup, and Concacaf Champions Cup?

While those details aren’t yet finalized, alignment with other cup competitions has been an important consideration throughout the planning process for both Minnesota United and Major League Soccer—and the intention is for MLS clubs to continue participating in those tournaments as important parts of the North American soccer landscape. In fact, this change will hopefully minimize some of the schedule congestion currently created by overlapping competitions and create more equal footing for MLS clubs in international tournament play.

Comparison of MLS Home Games By Month

How will this impact Season Ticket Members?

Here's a page with some more specific FAQs for STMs.

As a Loons fan, how should I be thinking about this?

We think you should be excited. This transition addresses a number of real challenges we currently face and positions the league for long-term upward momentum.

That is not to suggest that there are no tradeoffs to this decision. MNUFC is acutely aware of the weather implications of a change like this. For that reason, we have been active, vocal partners, proactively working with the league to shape a plan we believe makes sense for markets like our own.

At the end of the day, this is a move designed to help MLS take another step toward our collective goal of becoming one of the world's top soccer leagues. And that’s ultimately what we want at MNUFC, too: To be a world-class club with world-class players in a world-class league. We believe this move pushes both the league, and our club, closer to that goal.

What do I do now?

Enjoy the entire 2026 MLS season, enjoy the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and somewhere along the way, you can start to get excited for what should be an epic 2027.

If you still have questions, maybe even concerns, that’s totally fair. But rest assured: Whatever’s on your mind, we’ll figure it out together.

At the end of the day, nothing about who we are as a club is changing. We are and always will be the team you know and love—rooted in community, focused on delivering a great fan experience, and relentlessly committed to winning.

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