MLS Won't Change to Fall-to-Spring Schedule Until At Least 2027 After Next World Cup

MLS announced Thursday that a potential switch from a winter-to-fall schedule to a fall-to-spring schedule won't occur until at least the 2027 season.

"Any potential changes would not take effect until the 2027 season at the earliest," a statement from the league said, via ESPN's Cesar Hernandez. "This next phase will include additional consultation with key stakeholders and the development of a comprehensive transition plan."

No changes to match the global calendar are expected happen prior to the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup, per Alex M. Silverman of Sports Business Journal.

MLS commissioner Don Garber previously explained to reporters that the league was considering an eventual change at his State of the League address in Dec. 2024.

"I do think that we are considering more than ever before this opportunity to change, but it's not something that we're ready to talk about right now," Garber said, via Hernandez. "The schedule does get more crowded. The summers, in particular June now, that has been taken up by most of the international tournaments."

"[It] has us digging in even deeper than we ever had in the past, but we've got a lot of work to do and that work is ongoing," he added.

Momentum towards transitioning to a fall-to-spring schedule appears to be building throughout the landscape of the entire league.

Paul Tenorio and Felipe Cardenas of The Athletic surveyed 21 MLS sporting executives who held a "nearly unanimous" belief that a calendar matching Europe would be "positive" for the league.

One general manager pointed to the league's MLS Cup not having to compete with the NFL as well as college football under a new schedule.

"Right now, the playoffs start and playoffs go on (with international breaks), college and NFL football are on, my friends just kind of stop watching it," the general manager said, per Tenorio and Cardenas. "Having it at the end of May or early June, when there is not as much competition, is better for us."

With the MLS calendar remaining the same heading into the 2026 World Cup, the league previously announced that it plans to take a break during the 2026 season to accommodate the World Cup in North America.

An updated schedule could come as soon as 2027, though.