MLS announces schedule for 2023 season
December 20, 2022
renew
MLS announces schedule for 2023 season
Every MLS game will be live on MLS Season Pass, an unprecedented streaming service launching February 1 on the Apple TV app
Fans can enjoy a consistent window of play on Saturday and select Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. local time
Major League Soccer announced the full 2023 MLS regular-season schedule today, highlighted by the opening match of the league’s 29th club, St. Louis City SC.
The 2023 season will also feature the MLS Season Pass, an unprecedented subscription offering from Apple and MLS that will include the MLS regular season, the Audi 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs and Every game in the League Cup1 – Everything in one place, no blackouts. With MLS Season Pass, fans can enjoy every MLS game on billions of devices through Apple devices, smart TVs, streaming devices, set-top boxes and game consoles, as well as the Apple TV app at tv.apple.com. Launching on February 1, 2023, MLS Season Pass marks the official launch of a 10-year partnership between MLS and Apple, a historic first for a major professional sports league.
Most of the 2023 season will be played on Saturdays and some Wednesdays, starting at 7:30 p.m. local time, with a focus on developing a schedule that best serves the league’s passionate fans and drives destination viewing and attendance. Complementing that, the MLS Season Pass will offer five hours of live-streamed performances capturing all the key moments of each game from the start of the East game to the final whistle of the West game (7:30 p.m. ET-12:30 am ET).
Apple TV+ subscribers can also watch select MLS and League Cup games for free, including some of the biggest playoff games, and many are free on the Apple TV app. Select matches will also be available on the FOX network in the US and TSN and RDS in Canada.
The full MLS schedule can be found at mlssoccer.com/schedule. Highlights of the MLS 2023 season schedule are as follows.
‘MLS Is Back’ Opening Weekend
“MLS Comes Back,” Saturday, February 25, as the team makes its 2023 debut. All games during “MLS Comes Back” weekend will be available to watch for free on the Apple TV app.
The first game of the 2023 season will be at Jodha Park at 4:30 p.m. ET when Nashville SC hosts NYC FC with Landon Donovan, MLS MVP Hany Mukhtar, and the 20-year-old Brazil star Talles Magno joins Jorda Park for a live Apple TV app, FOX and FOX Deportes.
Opening Day activities continued with an ever-fierce El Tráfico game reaching new heights at the historic Rose Bowl as the LA Galaxy take on the defending MLS Cup champions and fellow city at 9:30 p.m. ET Rival Los Angeles FC, kick off their season, streaming live on the Apple TV app.
St. Louis CITY SC Debuts
With the debut of expansion team St. Louis CITY SC, MLS welcomes a new club, new city and brand new stadium in 2023. St.Louis will host Last year’s rookies make their highly anticipated home debut at Charlotte FC on Saturday, March 4 at 8:30 p.m. ET in CITYPARK. With CITYPARK’s 22,500-capacity capacity and over 60,000 season ticket deposits, the debutant team has all the makings of an unforgettable home inauguration.
competition week returns
Rivalry Week will feature four days of the league’s toughest rivalry, May 13-20. The MLS Season Ticket kicks off on Saturday, May 13 at 7:30 p.m. ET, with Atlanta United hosting Charlotte FC at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, while the The New York Red Bulls will take on Hudson River rivals New York City FC at the Red Bull Arena.
Sunday, May 14 at 9:30 p.m. ET on MLS Season Ticket, FS1 and FOX Deportes, with the Cal Derby taking on the LA Galaxy against the San Jose Earthquakes at Dignity Health Sports Park followed by a An exciting nine-race race will see the competitive week end on Saturday, May 20.
2023 MLS All-Star Game Presented by Target
The 2023 MLS All-Star Game presented by Target is scheduled for Wednesday, July 19 at Audi Field, home of DC United. The MLS Showcase opponents will be announced at a later date.
league cup break
Beginning in 2023, all 47 MLS and Liga MX clubs will begin a landmark new chapter in North American football in a completely reimagined League Cup: the annual, month-long Concacaf-sanctioned tournament. The 2023 League Cup will make history as the first major football tournament to include all clubs from the two top divisions. The MLS regular season will be suspended after the League Cup match on July 15 and resume on August 20.
MLS Cup rematch
The 2022 MLS Cup and a rematch between last year’s two best regular-season teams will take place on Sept. 23 at the MLS Season Ticket, Philadelphia Union vs. Los Angeles FC.
MLS Decision Day 2023
On the final day of play, Oct. 21, all teams will face their opponents in the conference for a playoff spot and seed. MLS Decision Day kick-off times will be announced at a later date.
Further details on the Audi 2023 MLS Cup playoffs will be announced at a later date.
MLS Conference Alignment
With St. Louis City SC joining the Western Conference, Nashville SC will rejoin the Eastern Conference.
MLS Program Construction
15 Eastern Conference teams will participate in:
- Play two games (28 games) against each intra-conference opponent.
- One game against six different cross conference opponents (6 games).
14 Western Conference teams will participate in:
- Play two games (26 games) against each intra-conference opponent.
- A game against 1 or 2 additional in-conference opponents (1-2 games).
- One game with 6 or 7 different cross conference opponents (6-7 games).
Additional Notes Regarding the 2023 MLS Schedule
- MLS will be suspended during the October and November FIFA international windows. MLS clubs have the option to play during the June and September FIFA international windows, with 13 clubs opting to do so.
- The five MLS teams that have qualified for the Scotiabank Concaf Champions League will start the round of 16 first leg on March 7-9. Participating teams include Austin FC, Los Angeles FC, Orlando City FC, Philadelphia Union and Vancouver Whitecaps.
- The Seattle Sounders will compete in the FIFA Club World Cup in Morocco from February 1-11. A date and time for the game has yet to be determined.
Follow MLS Clubs on the Apple TV App and Apple News
Fans can follow their favorite MLS clubs through My Sports on the Apple TV app and make sure they see all the action in 2023. In iOS 16, Apple introduced a new My Sports section on iPhone, iPad and Apple TV, making it easy for users to follow their favorite clubs, teams and leagues. Fans can visit apple.co/MySportsMLS on iPhone or iPad to go directly to the Apple TV app and follow their favorite MLS clubs, get alerts ahead of upcoming games, follow live scores and more.
My Sports also makes it easy to get personalized, live sports coverage from Apple News. Fans can stay up to date with the best stories from top publications, plus get live scores, schedules, standings and highlights.
Subscribe to MLS Season Tickets
Starting Feb. 1, fans can subscribe to the MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app for $14.99 per month during the season or $99 per season, and Apple TV+ subscribers can purchase it for $12.99 per month and $79 per season. Sign up for a special offer. Each All Season Ticket account will include a subscription to the MLS Season Ticket. With Family Sharing, up to six family members can share subscriptions using their own Apple IDs and passwords.
- This does not include the League Cup and the Campines Cup, which are open to Mexican audiences.
press contact
bernadette simball
apple
(669) 227-9273
Apple Media Helpline
(408) 974-2042