Major League Soccer officials announced Monday that the league’s championship game for 2026 will occur on Friday, December 18.
The venue for the MLS Cup will be determined by which finalist had the superior regular-season performance, with that team earning home-field advantage.
The 2026 campaign represents the last complete season under the current format, as MLS plans to shift to a summer-spring calendar beginning in 2027-28. Between these seasons, the league will conduct a shortened 14-match transitional season running from February through May of next year.
Eighteen teams will advance to postseason play, with the top nine clubs from both the Eastern and Western conferences earning playoff berths. The postseason will kick off with wild-card contests on November 18.
First-round playoff action will feature best-of-three series from November 20 through December 2. Conference semifinal matches are set for December 5-6, while conference championship games will take place December 11-12.
Apple TV will provide live coverage of all playoff contests. Additionally, the championship final and selected other postseason matches will be available on Fox Sports for American viewers and on TSN and RDS for Canadian audiences.
