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Major League Soccer plans to take a break during the 2026 season to accommodate the World Cup in order to avoid incomplete rosters throughout the duration of the competition. The length of the pause remains undetermined, but the league agreed it was needed to navigate the calendar. Brad Pursel, the senior vice president of MLS game schedule management, provided insight into the planning process for the upcoming seasons.
"For the World Cup in 2026 we will take a break," he said. "MLS will pause during that competition, but the length of that break is to be determined. But given the size and scope of the 2026 World Cup, and being in North America, that is one tournament we will take a break for.
" "We have an ongoing dialogue with our clubs about this challenge that we face year to year during FIFA windows and international competitions, so it's something that we discuss," he said. "We're looking ahead to 2025, 2026, and 2027 to consider and make adjustments to our schedules so we don't lose quite as many players to these competitions that conflict with our season." The league's regular season extends from late February to Decision Day in October, while playoffs run from November to MLS Cup the first weekend of December.
MLS takes a summer break to participate in Leagues Cup, a joint, month-long competition between MLS and Liga MX held throughout the United States. Editor's Picks MLS' biggest stars, like Messi, are at Copa America. Why isn't the league on a break? 33m Lizzy Bech.
