Inter Miami will host FC Cincinnati at Nu Stadium in Miami on Friday, Feb. 19, at 8 p.m. ET to open the 2027 MLS Spring Season. It will be the first of its kind, with each team playing 14 regular season matches.
Opening match and launch weekend
The league's Spring Season will kick off on the weekend of Feb. 19, with 13 additional matches set to be played across Saturday and Sunday in opening week. Each club will face its 14 conference opponents once, playing seven games at home and seven on the road.
Regular season format
The regular season will conclude with Decision Day on May 8. All Eastern Conference matches on Decision Day are set to kick off three hours before the same happens for teams in the West.
Postseason and qualification
Following Decision Day, the postseason will feature the top eight teams in each conference. A single-elimination tournament will determine the two conference winners, who will face off in MLS Cup on Memorial Day weekend. The MLS Cup playoffs will determine qualification to the CONCACAF Champions Cup and Leagues Cup.
Transition before the calendar switch
The 14-game campaign and single-elimination playoffs will determine the MLS Cup champion and qualification for the 2028 CONCACAF Champions Cup and Leagues Cup before the league switches to a summer-to-spring calendar. Before the focus turns towards the spring season, MLS still has to wrap up the 2026 campaign, and each team still has two matches to play before the start of the MLS Playoffs in November.
