While all eyes will be on the FIFA World Cup this summer, the 2026 schedule for MLS, the USL and the larger men’s domestic club ecosystem is starting to take shape. From amateur leagues to the Concacaf Champions Cup and everything in between, here are some key dates and major moments to mark on your calendar.
February 3: Concacaf Champions Cup kicks off
The continent’s premier club competition will run from February 3 to May 30 and feature nine MLS clubs in FC Cincinnati, LA Galaxy, LAFC, Inter Miami CF, Philadelphia Union, San Diego FC, Seattle Sounders FC, Vancouver Whitecaps FC and Nashville SC, with the latter qualifying via its 2025 U.S. Open Cup title. The MLS contingent will join clubs from Mexico, Canada, Costa Rica, Honduras, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Jamaica, Panama, and Trinidad and Tobago in hopes of claiming a continental title and qualifying for the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup and the 2026 FIFA Intercontinental Cup.
February 21: Major League Soccer season starts
Major League Soccer will kick off its 31st season with MLS is Back weekend on Feb. 21, taking a brief World Cup break between May 25 and July 16 before concluding the regular season with Decision Day on Nov. 7. The 2026 season represents only the third season since 2015 in which the league has not added an expansion team, though all eyes will be on Inter Miami and Lionel Messi, as the defending MLS Cup champions are set to open the 25,000-seat Miami Freedom Park on April 4.
February 27: MLS NEXT Pro season starts
MLS’ professional developmental league will get started on Feb. 27, marking the earliest the third-division league has kicked off in its five seasons of existence. Led by first-year head coach and former U.S. Men’s National Team captain Michael Bradley, Red Bull New York II claimed the MLS NEXT Pro Cup, its first trophy since winning the USL Championship Final in 2016. New to the fold in 2026 will be Bridgeport, Conn.–based Connecticut United FC, joining Carolina Core FC and Chattanooga FC as the league’s lone independent clubs.
March 7: USL Championship and USL League One seasons start
Fresh off a 2025 season which saw juggernauts Louisville City FC claim its second successive Players’ Shield and famous Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC win its first league title, the second-division USL Championship is adding East Coast reinforcements in the form of Brooklyn FC and Sporting Club Jacksonville in 2026 to round out a field of 25 clubs.
For the rapidly expanding USL League One, the third-division professional league is welcoming five expansion teams ahead of its eighth season: Athletic Club Boise, Corpus Christi FC, Fort Wayne FC, the New York Cosmos and Sarasota Paradise. The 2025 campaign was highlighted by One Knoxville SC doing the double, winning the Players’ Shield and the USL League One Final, and first-year sides Portland Hearts of Pine, AV ALTA FC and FC Naples enjoying success both on and off the pitch.
March 17 – 19: U.S. Open Cup First Round
Following a four-round qualifying period in which 145 amateur sides were reduced to 16, the 111th edition of the U.S. Open Cup will roll along with the First Round of the tournament proper, featuring 64 clubs and 32 matches each pitting amateur clubs against professional outfits. The tournament proper follows four qualifying rounds which took place
Spring: The League for Clubs, NPSL and UPSL seasons start
Some of the top national amateur leagues will return in early 2026, as The League for Clubs, NPSL and UPSL will resume this spring. All three leagues will also be represented in the First Round of the 2026 U.S. Open Cup, as 2025 NPSL regular season champions El Farolito, 2025 UPSL Spring champion Tennessee Tempo FC and 2025 The League for Clubs runner-up San Ramon FC join a collection of high-performing amateur sides in this year’s tournament.
March 31 – April 1: U.S. Open Cup Second Round
Two weeks after the First Round, the Second Round will see the initial field halved, as the 32 First Round winners will face off across 16 matches.
April 14 – 15: U.S. Open Cup Round of 32
The 16 winners that progressed through both the First and Second Rounds will be joined by 16 MLS clubs in the Round of 32.
April 25: USL Cup starts
The USL’s inter-league cup will return for its third edition in April, this time boasting a record-breaking field of 43 professional clubs. Now known as the Prinx Tires USL Cup, the competition features all 25 second-division USL Championship clubs and 18 third-division USL League One clubs. This year, Hartford Athletic will aim to defend its title after lifting its first trophy in club history in last season’s edition.
April 28 – April 29: U.S. Open Cup Round of 16
May 19 – May 20: U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinals
June 11 – July 19: FIFA World Cup kicks off
The biggest sporting event in the world will kick off on June 11 at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City before concluding with the World Cup Final on July 19 just outside New York City at MetLife Stadium. The tournament will feature a record 48 teams and represents the 12th appearance for the U.S. Men’s National Team.
Summer: USASA National Amateur Cup returns and USL League Two season starts
The 102nd edition of the USASA National Amateur Cup is slated for this summer, with the winner awarded a berth in the 2027 U.S. Open Cup. Last year, the 50-year-old West Chester United SC of Pennsylvania claimed its first Amateur Cup crown, earning a berth in the 2026 U.S. Open Cup. This year, West Chester will welcome the USL Championship’s Loudoun United FC back to town in a rematch of last year’s narrow First Round loss to the second-division side.
USL League Two will also return this summer for its 31st season, riding the momentum of a thrilling 2025 campaign which was capped off by a sold-out USL League Two Final in which hosts Vermont Green FC topped Seattle-based Ballard FC. Now boasting 158 clubs in total, the historic amateur league will have 10 clubs represented in the 2026 U.S. Open Cup. In recent years the league has been defined by the sustained success of decorated clubs like the Flint City Bucks, Des Moines Menace and Ventura County Fusion, but also the emergence of exciting newcomers such as Annapolis Blues FC, Asheville City SC, Little Rock Rangers SC, and the aforementioned Ballard and Vermont Green.
August 4: Leagues Cup starts
The sixth edition of MLS and Liga MX’s inter-league tournament will run from Aug. 4 to Sept. 6, directly following the World Cup. The tournament features 18 MLS clubs and all 18 Liga MX clubs. A season ago, Seattle Sounders FC emerged victorious, becoming the first MLS club to win all five possible trophies (Concacaf Champions Cup, U.S. Open Cup, MLS Cup, the Supporters’ Shield and Leagues Cup).
September 15 – 16: U.S. Open Cup Semifinals
October 21: U.S. Open Cup Final
The 111th edition of the U.S. Open Cup will culminate with the 2026 U.S. Open Cup Final on Oct. 21. The winner will etch its name into the annals of American soccer history, qualify for the 2027 Concacaf Champions Cup and claim a $600,000 prize.
