(Photo credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images)

MLS will follow the lead of the top soccer leagues in the world and move to a summer-to-spring schedule starting in 2027.

Since making its debut in 1996, MLS has contained its seasons within a single calendar year by operating a spring-to-fall schedule. The 2025 MLS season is currently in the playoffs with MLS Cup set to take place on Dec. 6.

The MLS board of governors voted in July to push a decision on a change of schedule until this week's MLS Board of Governors meeting at Palm Beach, Fla. The new calendar was approved Thursday.

The league is now set to work with the MLS Players Association to make the calendar change official.

'The calendar shift is one of the most important decisions in our history,' said MLS Commissioner Don Garber said in a release. 'Aligning our schedule with the world's top leagues will strengthen our clubs' global competitiveness, create better opportunities in the transfer market, and ensure our MLS Cup playoffs take center stage without interruption.

'It marks the start of a new era for our league and for soccer in North America.'

One issue for a schedule that spans winter is extreme cold and snow that could affect teams like the Chicago Fire, Colorado Rapids, Minnesota United, CF Montreal, the New England Revolution, Real Salt Lake and Toronto FC. Even clubs like the Columbus Crew, New York Red Bulls and New York City FC could be affected.

To counter winter weather extremes in North America, MLS will pause future summer-to-spring schedules from mid-December until early February, with no games to take place in January.

MLS was not without its weather challenges during a summer schedule as rising heat and thunderstorms caused their own issues.

'It's getting hotter, and that's clearly an issue, playing through the depth and the core of the warmest months in many of our markets,' Garber said earlier this year. 'So it just adds to the challenges and complexity that MLS has to deal with.'

To fill a lengthy gap between the end of the final spring-to-fall 2026 season and the start of the 2027-28 season in the summer, MLS will conduct a short 14-game regular season from February to May 2027.

The short tournament-style season will include playoffs and MLS Cup, while determining qualification for the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, the Canadian Championship, the Leagues Cup, and the CONCACAF Champions Cup.

In the new summer-to-spring seasons, the playoffs and MLS Cup will be played in May and be uninterrupted by international match windows.

The news came hours after reports came out that Apple TV will do away with its 'MLS Season Pass' next year and offer all MLS games to Apple TV users without an additional subscription fee. A $99 fee was necessary to watch the package of games on Apple TV, although existing Apple TV subscribers received a discount.

--Field Level Media