MLS unveils sweeping regional realignment for 2027‑28 season
Major League Soccer is set to overhaul its competition format beginning in the 2027‑28 season, moving from the traditional two‑conference model to a system of five regional groups, each containing six clubs.
The new arrangement groups teams according to short‑haul flight distances, with each side contesting five matches inside its region and 24 fixtures against opponents from the other groups, while home‑and‑away status alternates each season.
Among the proposed clusters are the Pacific/Northwest, Southwest/Mountain, Central/Midwest, South/Southeast and Northeast/Eastern Canada divisions, which collectively feature clubs such as Seattle, Portland, Vancouver, Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Atlanta, New York City FC, Toronto and Montreal. The realignment keeps some historic rivalries, like the Cascadia Cup, but many longtime matchups will be reduced to a single home‑and‑away meeting per year.
Travel burdens are expected to ease considerably, as intra‑group trips often involve short bus rides; only three corridor match‑ups — Cincinnati‑Columbus, Washington‑Philadelphia and Philadelphia‑New York — require extended bus travel. The longest intra‑regional flight will be from Los Angeles to Houston, roughly four hours, while the longest overall flight remains Miami to Vancouver, about six and a quarter hours.
The proposal is still under review, with no final vote taken yet, and the league has confirmed that the regular season will retain its 34‑game schedule, though the distribution of opponents will change.