Major League Soccer revealed its schedule for the 2026 regular season on Thursday.

The league confirmed that it will pause from May 25 to July 16, a nearly two-month break that will encompass almost all of the 2026 World Cup.

Players are required to report to World Cup squads by May 25, with the tournament running from June 11 to July 19. The 2026 World Cup will be co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada and will be the first to feature 48 teams.

Because MLS is taking such a long midseason break, the end of its season has been stretched out farther than usual. The regular season will end on Nov. 7, with the league then pausing for the November FIFA window before starting its playoffs.

In contrast, this year's regular season ended on Oct. 18 and the November FIFA window took place between Round One of the playoffs and the conference semifinals.

The playoff schedule will be announced at a later date, but the league will not see its postseason interrupted by the international window like it has in recent seasons.

The 2026 season will start on Feb. 21, and will see each team play 34 games, 17 home and 17 on the road.

Teams will play conference opponents twice (28 games), once at home and once away, and will play six different cross-conference opponents (six games).

Among the schedule's highlights is Inter Miami opening its new stadium, the 25,000-seat Miami Freedom Park, on April 4 against Austin FC.

The complete 2026 MLS regular season schedule can be viewed HERE.

The 2026 campaign will be the last MLS season to follow a spring-to-fall format. After a shortened transition season from February to May 2027, MLS will kick off its 2027-28 season on the fall-to-spring format used by most major leagues worldwide.

This article originally appeared on Pro Soccer Wire: MLS will take two-month break for 2026 World Cup

Reporting by Seth Vertelney, Pro Soccer Wire / Pro Soccer Wire

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect