MLS 2023 schedule: Highlights, Apple streaming details, how to watch

The 2023 Major League Soccer season will kick off on February 25 with the opening weekend matches available for free on the Apple TV app, MLS announced on Tuesday. Here’s what you need to know:

• This is the first season of the league’s 10-year partnership with Apple, with the tech giant paying $2.5 billion for the rights to show every MLS game.
• St. Austin FC on February 25 at 8:30 PM ET. The expansion club will host Charlotte FC on March 4 at 8:30 PM ET in its inaugural MLS home game.
• The All-Star Game will take place on July 19 at Audi Field, home of DC United. The opponent will be announced at a later date, MLS said.
• Beginning in 2023, all 47 MLS and Liga MX clubs will compete in the a reimagined League Cup, as the month-long Concacaf-sanctioned event will become the first major soccer tournament to feature every club from the top two leagues, for MLS. (The league’s regular season will stop for the tournament after the July 15 games and resume on August 20.)

Key matches

MLS opening weekend

• Nashville SC will wait NYCFC on February 25 at 4:30 PM ET as the first game of the 2023 MLS season.
• LA Galaxy opens its season against defending MLS Cup champions LAFC in the El Tráfico rivalry game on February 25 at 9:30pm at the Rose Bowl.

Rivalry week

• Rivalry Week will take place May 13-20, starting with Atlanta United hosting Charlotte FC on May 13 at 7:30 PM ET. In the same time, New York Red Bulls will face NYCFC at Red Bull Arena. (Note: NYCFC will split the games between venues with nine at Yankee Stadium, six at Citi Field and two TBD.)
• LA Galaxy will play San Jose earthquakes at Dignity Health Sports Park on May 14 at 9:30 p.m. ET, which will be followed by nine games to close out the weekend.

MLS Cup Rematch

• of Philadelphia Union face LAFC on September 23, pitting last year’s MLS Cup finalists against each other.

MLS Decision Day 2023

• All teams will face intra-conference opponents before the playoffs on MLS Decision Day on Oct. 21 with kickoff times to be announced at a later date.
• Details on the 2023 playoff schedule will also be announced at a later date, MLS said.

business hours

See the full schedule here.

With the union of St. All Western Conference teams will play two games against each conference opponent, one or two additional games against a conference opponent, and one game against six or seven different non-conference opponents.

MLS will stop long FIFA‘s international windows in October and November. Thirteen MLS teams were selected to play during the FIFA international window in June and September.

The five MLS teams that have qualified for the Concacaf Champions League – Austin FC, Orlando City SCLAFC, Philadelphia Union and Vancouver Whitecaps FC — Start of the 16th round on March 7-9.

of Seattle Sounders will play in the FIFA Club World Cup, which runs from February 1-11 in Morocco. Match dates and times have not yet been confirmed, according to MLS.

MLS-Apple broadcast, how to watch

Fans will be able to watch every regular season, playoff and Leagues Cup game on MLS Season Pass, the league’s new subscription streaming service on the Apple TV app that launches on February 1.

An MLS Season Pass subscription will be included with every full season ticket account. Through Family Sharing, up to six family members can share the subscription using their Apple ID and password.

In 2023, Fox Sports will broadcast 34 games, including 15 on Fox and 19 on FS1, with all Fox Sports broadcasts offered in Spanish on Fox Deportes. The extensive TSN and RDS regular season game schedule will be announced in the coming weeks, for MLS, with at least one game per week featuring a Canadian team.

National broadcast schedule

*All national broadcasts on FOX and FS1 are also available on FOX Deportes and Apple.

Required reading

(Photo: Ira L. Black – Corbis / Getty)