Orlando City Re-Signs Captain Robin Jansson Through 2027

The Beefy Swede is back. Orlando City announced today that the club has re-signed the veteran Swedish center back and team captain through 2027. The Lions had initially declined Jansson’s 2026 option but announced after the season they were in negotiations for Jansson’s return for the upcoming MLS season.

“Robin has been the heartbeat of this team for years,” Orlando City General Manager and Sporting Director Ricardo Moreira said in a club press release. “His leadership on and off the field sets the standard for what it means to wear our badge. He defends this club and this city with unmatched passion, and we’re thrilled to keep him in purple as we continue building toward more success. Robin’s commitment goes beyond words, as we worked together to restructure his deal in a way that allows us to keep him in Orlando and build towards our collective goals, showing just how much this club and community mean to him.”

Orlando City signed Robin Jansson on March, 12 2019, and he quickly inked his name on the lineup sheet in permanent marker. The team recognized his efforts with a new contract before the 2024 season that went through the 2025 season with a club option for the 2026 season, leading to today’s announcement.

Jansson, who turned 34 last month, is not only the club’s captain, but he is also the franchise’s all-time leader in appearances (238), starts (232), and minutes played (20,923), becoming the first player to eclipse 20,000 minutes. In his seven seasons in Orlando, the defender has scored seven goals in all competitions, adding five assists, with one of those goals and one assist coming in 2025. More importantly, he has solidified a back line that has performed well since his arrival and shored up what had been a problem area for the team prior to his signing. He helped lead Orlando City to the 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup championship and has been part of every Lions team that has reached the postseason over the past six years — the longest current streak in MLS.

Working alongside Lamine Sane, Antonio Carlos, Rodrigo Schlegel, and David Brekalo over the years, Jansson has been the constant and his effort and quality have been unassailable. The same is true of his leadership, which led to him earning the captain’s armband prior to start of the 2024 season in the wake of previous captain Mauricio Pereyra’s departure.

“It’s an honor to continue representing these colors, and I feel super excited to sign a new contract,” Jansson said in the club’s release. “This club has given me so much during my time here and I hope I can give back in the best way possible. The support I have received from the fans means everything, and I’ll keep giving it my all every time I step on the pitch. Here’s to more moments, more growth, and more victories together.”

Jansson was the fifth-highest-paid player on Orlando City in 2025, with a base salary of $900,000 and total guaranteed compensation of $996,667. Only the club’s three Designated Players and goalkeeper Pedro Gallese were ahead of him. While terms of his new deal were not disclosed, it seems likely his new salary will be a bit more affordable or — at the very least — not be increased significantly.

What It Means for Orlando City

This is great news for Orlando City fans, as the club needs some continuity on the back line. While it is good for the defense, it is not in itself enough to fix a back line that did not help the Lions record a clean sheet after June. Jansson may have been slowed a bit by injury and Father Time in 2025, but he is still a solid MLS center back not far removed from a Defender-of-the-Year-type season.

He received a 6.5 out of 10 rating from The Mane Land for his 2025 performance, which is a full point lower than the grade we gave him in 2024 and 1.5 points lower than his stellar 2023 campaign. But the entire defense was a bit off in 2025, so with better and more consistent play around Jansson, he is still capable of turning in a great season.

The key will be who stands beside him on that back line in 2026 and who is behind him in goal. Adrian Marin must defend better on Jansson’s left or else Oscar Pareja will need to continue using center back David Brekalo at left back. That, in turn, leads to him having to use Rodrigo Schlegel on Jansson’s right. Schlegel is an aggressive, high-risk/high-reward player, who shines brightly in some games but makes incredible gaffes in others.

As Jansson is 34, Moreira would do well to try to find someone more similar to what Antonio Carlos brought to the Lions during his time in Orlando, as Jansson should be paired with a fast, athletic central defense partner at this stage of his career. Whoever is with him, the 2026 central defense pairing will be playing in front of a new starting goalkeeper after Gallese’s departure. Jansson will play in front of a different starter in goal for the first time since his first season in Orlando in 2019, when Brian Rowe was the starter.

The Trollhättan, Sweden native will be 36 when this new contract concludes, so this could see him through the end of his playing days. He’s a player that will undoubtedly be honored in the club’s Legends Terrace in the future.