2026 MLS Schedule revealed and for Loons fans, it’s gonna be a cold season

After many years of waiting until mid-December to January for the full MLS schedule, the league gave out an early Christmas present announcing the schedule ahead of Thanksgiving. For Minnesota United this upcoming season will be a special one as “The team that nobody wanted” celebrate 10 years of play in Major League Soccer. The club hits 17 years of existence next year, since being founded as NSC Minnesota in 2010 following the folding of the Minnesota Thunder.

For Loons fans the season will be a cold one, starting earlier and ending later than normal due to the six week FIFA World Cup break. Each club will play everyone else in their conference twice (28 matches) along with playing six clubs from the opposing conference, as happened in 2025 as well. Following the end of the regular season the league will break for the November international window, before resuming play around the 21st of the month for the MLS Cup Playoffs. The league has not announced the format or dates for 2026, but if the current format holds 18 clubs will qualify for the playoffs and the MLS Cup Final would be played on or around 19 December.

Minnesota will open the season on 21 February in Austin, TX for a clash with Los Verdes on the “MLS Is Back” opening weekend of play. One week later the Loons fly north to St. Paul to host FC Cincinnati on 28 February in their earliest ever home opener. Following matches on 23 May, the league will break through 16 July for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

After the break, Minnesota immediately returns home to face Sporting Kansas City on 22 July. Seven days later is the MLS All Star Game in Charlotte against a TBD opponent, though all but once since 2021 that opponent has been the Liga MX All Stars. The 2026 season ends with Decision Day on 07 November, where the Loons will host San Jose Earthquakes in the final match of the. season at 6:00pm CT, allowing at least a bit of reprieve from the usually chilly November weather.

Minnesota United will face FC Cincinnati (home on 21 February), Nashville SC (away 07 March), Columbus Crew (away on 02 May), New England Revolution (away on 16 May), Atlanta (home on 19 August), and Orlando City (home on 29 August) as their six non-conference opponents for the 2026 season. The match against Atlanta will be a 10th season Celebration Match and Atlanta’s first ever visit to Allianz Field. The Five Stripes were the Loons first ever home opponent in 2017, where Atlanta thrashed Minnesota 6–1 during a snowstorm in front of just over 35,000 fans.

MNUFC has two guaranteed nationally televised matches on FOX in 2026, those being the March match at home against Seattle Sounders and their home match against LAFC the following month. The Loons home match against Austin in May is set for Apple TV’s marquee Sunday Night Soccer slot.

Before 2026 arrives the Loons have at least one more match in 2025 as they travel to San Diego FC for a Western Conference Semi-Final match this upcoming Monday 24 November. Should Minnesota win they will travel to either Vancouver, BC for a meeting with the Whitecaps or Los Angeles, CA to play LAFC in the Western Conference Final on Thanksgiving weekend. MNUFC could potentially host the MLS Cup Final on 7 December, should NYCFC win the Eastern Conference.