What is the 2027 MLS 'Sprint Season' and why is it happening?

It has been 30 years since Major League Soccer kicked off its inaugural season.

Since then, however, the league has gone from 10 to 30 teams, which has resulted in a longer season. This year, the season commenced on February 21, and it will come to an end on December 18.

The 2026 campaign will also be the final year of MLS' spring–autumn format, as the league gets set to join its European counterparts with a summer-spring format. But before that, they will have to undergo a 'Sprint Season' in 2027.

What is the MLS Sprint Season?

Starting in 2027, MLS seasons will no longer take place over one calendar year, but two. The 2027/28 edition, for example, will start in July 2027 and end in May 2028, while there will also be a winter break between mid-December and early February.

But it's obvious that MLS can't simply take a seven-month sabbatical from the 2026 MLS Cup Final to the start of the 2027/28 season. It's why, in order to bridge the old format and the new, league bosses have arranged for a Sprint Season to take place next year.

The fast-paced, high-stakes Sprint Season will commence in February 2027, with each MLS team playing 14 regular season games through April. But, unlike the normal version of the regular season, where Eastern Conference teams occasionally face off Western Conference teams, this will be solely intra-conference play.

Every single team will face each of their 14 conference opponents once, with seven matches at home and seven away. And unlike regular campaigns, where the eighth-placed team hosts the ninth-placed team in a one-off match to determine which team will face the conference's top-ranked side, there will not be a play-in round.

And as opposed to the regular version of the MLS Cup Playoffs, where all 16 teams face off against each other in a Best-of-Three Series, this postseason will be played in a single-elimination bracket format. The top-ranked side will face the eighth-best team, the second-placed team will face the seventh-best, and so on.

The only time that a Western Conference team will face an Eastern Conference is in the actual final in late May, where, as usual, the higher-ranked team in the MLS Supporters' Shield standings, will host the event. Other than that, it's pretty much business as usual.

All things considered, the MLS Sprint Season is a necessary compromise. In the grand scheme of things, most sports fans will likely view it with an asterisk, similarly to how they've never quite given LeBron James' Los Angeles Lakers their share of credit for winning the 2020 NBA Finals in a bio-secure bubble.

But the fact remains that this season will endow major rewards, with five teams qualifying for the 2028 CONCACAF Champions Cup. This will be comprised of the MLS Cup winners, Supporters' Shield winners, and the Eastern/Western Conference champions, with the next best records in the Supporters' Shield standings. Moreover, the top nine teams in each conference will qualify for the 2028 Leagues Cup.

Whilst it may not have the same prestige as other editions, the Sprint Season is nevertheless an incredible opportunity for teams like FC Dallas and Philadelphia Union to challenge for their maiden MLS Cup title. Expect an unpredictable tournament, one that rewards teams who peak early in the year and avoid injuries.

The bottom line is that, in order to catch up to Europe's top five leagues, MLS needs to stop trying to be different and start trying to play by Europe's rules and introduce a summer-spring format. Because sometimes, you've got to walk before you can run. And in this case, you've got to sprint before you can run.