Inter Miami will host FC Cincinnati on February 19, 2027, at Nu Stadium in Miami to open the MLS Sprint Season. The game launches a one-off transition campaign in which each of the league's 30 clubs will play 14 regular-season matches, evenly divided between home and away, before the playoffs in May. The opener was revealed in an announcement on October 28, 2026.
That initial release did not amount to a complete fixture list. As checked on October 29, 2026, MLS's official material still described the full schedule, including the remaining home and away assignments and dates, as forthcoming. The 14-game figure applies to the regular season only, not to the total number of games a club could play if it reaches the postseason.
Which matches had already been announced?
Alongside the Friday opener, the calendar preview reported by Reuters identified the Los Angeles rivalry and the final regular-season matchday. These are announced milestones, not the full schedule.
- February 19: Inter Miami vs FC Cincinnati at Nu Stadium in Miami, the season opener.
- April 10: LA Galaxy vs Los Angeles FC, the rivalry known as El Tráfico.
- May 8: New York City FC vs New York Red Bulls on Decision Day, the last regular-season matchday.
Those dates establish the competition's key markers. The league had outlined the general format in March, while the October announcement added specific fixtures and the final-matchday date.
Why will the regular season have only 14 games?
The Sprint Season is a one-time competition intended to bridge MLS's calendar change. The league's 30 teams are split into two conferences of 15 clubs. Every club will face each of its other 14 conference opponents once, with no East-versus-West meetings during the regular season.
The fixtures are divided into seven home games and seven away games per club. For Inter Miami, the seven home matches are scheduled for Nu Stadium, according to the club. Compared with the traditional 34-game regular season, the transitional edition has 20 fewer matches for each team. The reduction does not mean the league will skip crowning an MLS Cup champion.
How will the Sprint Season playoffs work?
The top eight teams in each conference, 16 in all, will qualify. Within each conference bracket, every knockout round will be decided in a single match, producing an Eastern and a Western Conference champion. The two will meet in the 2027 MLS Cup, also scheduled for May.
There will be no best-of-three series in this postseason. MLS says the higher-ranked team in the final 2027 Supporters' Shield standings will host every playoff match, including MLS Cup. As a result, regular-season points in the shorter schedule will also determine home-field advantage.
The title and international places remain at stake
Although abbreviated, the season will produce its own champion and help determine continental qualification. MLS says Sprint Season results will allocate five places in the 2028 Concacaf Champions Cup. They will also decide 18 entrants in the 2028 Leagues Cup, nine from each conference.
Those places will be earned through results in 2027; none are guaranteed in advance to Inter Miami, Cincinnati or any other club.
What changes permanently in 2027-28?
The next season will start in July 2027 and finish with the playoffs and MLS Cup in May 2028. The regular season will return to 34 matches per club. The new calendar features a North American winter break from mid-December to early February, with no league matches in January.
MLS says the change is designed to reduce clashes with national-team windows and better align its schedule with the international transfer market. The Sprint Season is therefore a bridge between two calendars, not a permanent switch to 14-game championships.
