MLS
When does the 2024 MLS season start? Regular season and playoff schedule
All you need to know about the 29th edition of Major League Soccer - the 46th season of the top division of US soccer.
Cup holders Los Angeles FC defend their title in this afternoon’s MLS Cup final showdown with Columbus Crew as the 2023 MLS season reaches its climax in Ohio. As for the rest of the league’s 27 franchises, the focus is already on next season with many teams’ rebuilding projects now underway.
Follow Columbus Crew - LAFC live online: MLS Cup Final 2023 | Score, stats and updates.
The MLS trade window opens on Monday 11 December, with free agency opening two later later on Wednesday 13 December (1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT) with the 2024 SuperDraft scheduled for the following Tuesday. The three-round SuperDraft is ordered based on each team’s position in the 2023 regular season standings in reverse order - so Toronto who finished bottom are first, followed by Inter Miami, Chicago Fire, DC United...
Franchises can draft players from a list of eligible players which includes collegiate sophomores and above, Generation Adidas players, former college player who departed college with remaining eligibility since the conclusion of the college season approximately one year prior to the SuperDraft (i.e., since the conclusion of the 2022 college season) in order to compete as a professional in a league domestically (e.g., USL, NISA, CPL) or any other players specifically made available by the league (such as pre-signed College seniors or pre-signed internationals).
So for now, MLS clubs are busy redesigning or rebuilding their rosters and planning their offseason fixtures for January through February.
Has the 2024 MLS season fixture list been announced yet?
As of the moment, Major League Soccer has not released details of when the 2024 regular season will start or a schedule for the playoffs. Last year, dates were confirmed just before Christmas and the same is likely to apply this time around. The 2023 regular season kicked off on 25 February and the 2024 edition (the 29th of MLS and 46th since it started) could get underway on a similar date - ie. the last weekend in February with Saturday 24th as a potential option for the opening game although there is also a possibility that the new season could start a little earlier (early to mid-February). We will bring you more information soon as the full calendar, start and finish dates are confirmed.