Orlando City Announces 2026 Major League Soccer Schedule

Major League Soccer released its 2026 schedule this afternoon, telling us when, where, and against whom Orlando City will play during the upcoming season. As usual, the Lions will play 34 regular-season games — 17 at home and 17 on the road. They’ll open the season at home yet again, extending the club’s streak to 12 seasons with a home match to kick off the year. That first match will take place on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026 at 7:30 p.m. against the New York Red Bulls at Inter&Co Stadium. The Lions will close the season at home on Decision Day as well, hosting the New England Revolution on Saturday, Nov. 7.

Orlando will play each Eastern Conference team twice — once each at home and away — as in most years, with six matches against clubs from the Western Conference: LAFC away (Saturday, April 4), the Houston Dynamo at home (Saturday, April 18), the San Jose Earthquakes away (Wednesday, July 22), Real Salt Lake at home (Saturday, Aug. 22), Minnesota United away (Saturday Aug. 29), and San Diego FC at home (Saturday, Sept. 5). It will be the first time the Lions have met the 2025 expansion side.

The Lions will play the bulk of their 34 regular-season games on Saturday nights, with 25 of their matches played on that night in 2026. There will be seven Wednesday matches and two Sunday games, with no games played on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, or — surprisingly — Fridays.

The busiest month of the year will be October, when Orlando City will play six matches — three home and three away. The Lions will play on short rest four times that month. Orlando will play five games in April, May, August and September; four in March, two in July … and one each in February (the opener) and November (Decision Day). There will be no league game in June, with the Lions having a break after the May 23 trip to Cincinnati until a July 22 road game at San Jose as the league observes a break for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

There will also be an odd week off between opening day and the second match on Sunday, March 1. Perhaps the most brutal turnaround is going to San Jose on July 22 and hosting Nashville SC three days later on Saturday, July 25.

Orlando City will play two three-game road trips in 2026: March 21 and April 4 and 12 at Nashville, LAFC, and Columbus, respectively; as well as April 25 and May 2 and 9 at D.C. United, Inter Miami, and CF Montreal, respectively. The Lions will also play a season-high three-game homestand next season. Starting Saturday, Aug. 15, Orlando will host FC Cincinnati, followed by the Chicago Fire (Aug. 19) and Real Salt Lake (Aug. 22).

As for rivalry games, fans won’t have to wait long. The lads in purple will host Inter Miami on Sunday, March 1, in the first 2026 iteration of the Tropic Thunder rivalry. Orlando makes the return trip to South Florida (allegedly to Miami Freedom Park) on Saturday, May 2. The league is making Orlando City face Atlanta United on short rest for both 2026 meetings, with the Five Stripes visiting Inter&Co Stadium on Saturday, May 16 — three days after Orlando hosts the reigning Supporters’ Shield-winning Philadelphia Union — and the Lions make the return trip to Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Wednesday, Sept. 9 — four days after they host San Diego FC.

MLS will hold its annual All-Star Game in Charlotte on July 29. At season’s end, the league will pause for the FIFA window after Decision Day, allowing the playoffs to run uninterrupted next season.

All matches in the regular season will be available on Apple TV with a subscription, with no need to additionally purchase MLS Season Pass. Season-ticket holders will receive a subscription to Apple TV. In addition, FOX Sports will broadcast 34 MLS games next season across its channels, with 15 on FOX and 19 on FS1.

Single-match tickets for 2026 regular-season games will go on sale starting in December, with pre-sale access available for those who sign up in advance. Half-season ticket plans are on sale now, and season ticket sales are ongoing.

Here is the schedule breakdown by month:

• February: 1 (1 home)
• March: 4 (2 home, 2 away)
• April: 5 (2 home, 3 away)
• May: 5 (2 home, 3 away)
• June: 0 (FIFA World Cup Break)
• July: 2 (1 home, 1 away)
• August: 5 (3 home, 2 away)
• September: 5 (2 home, 3 away)
• October: 6 (3 home, 3 away)
• November: 1 (1 home)

Here is the schedule breakdown by day:

• Sunday: 2 (1 home, 1 away)
• Monday: 0
• Tuesday: 0
• Wednesday: 7 (3 home, 4 away)
• Thursday: 0
• Friday: 0
• Saturday: 25 (13 home, 12 away)

2026 Orlando City Schedule

(Home games in bold)