Biggest names in MLS go head-to-head on opening night
Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami will get their MLS Cup defense underway against LAFC and Son Heung-min.
They’ve done it once. Now, can Inter Miami do it again?
The Herons head into the 2026 season looking to retain their MLS Cup title and firmly establish themselves as a dynasty in U.S. soccer. Miami have made ambitious reinforcements in the offseason and look well-placed to push for another championship.
If anyone is to mount a challenge, it may well be an LAFC team who have been perennial challengers since their foundation in 2018. With Son Heung-min and three-time MLS Best XI forward Denis Bouanga in the team, they have the firepower to match anyone in the league.
Next year? Son says it's a different story... 😏@LAFC hosts @InterMiamiCF Opening Weekend at @lacoliseum. 🍿 pic.twitter.com/xDtszN2MCg
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) December 10, 2025
Both teams head into 2026 with genuine title ambitions and so it is fitting that they meet on the opening night of the new season, looking to lay down a marker in MLS.
MLS fixtures for opening night 2026
The 2026 MLS season gets underway on Saturday, February 21. All 30 teams will begin their league campaigns that weekend and there are some mouth-watering matchups in store.
The headline game will be Inter Miami’s trip to BMO Stadium to take on LAFC at 9:30pm (ET) on Saturday. Elsewhere an ambitious FC Cincinnati host big-spending Atlanta United at 4:45pm (ET) on Saturday.
In the Western Conference, the Portland Timbers take on a Columbus Crew side playing their first game under new head coach Henrik Rydstrom. That game is set for 10:30pm (ET), the last of the opening night games on Saturday.
The Gameweek 1 fixtures continue with two Sunday Night Soccer matchups on Sunday, February 22. LA Galaxy take on New York City FC at 7:00pm (ET), before the Seattle Sounders host the Colorado Rapids at 9:15pm (ET).
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Get your game on! Whether you’re into NFL touchdowns, NBA buzzer-beaters, world-class soccer goals, or MLB home runs, our app has it all.
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