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With the start of the 2026 MLS season, soccer icon Lionel Messi and Inter Miami CF sit at the top of the leagues as last year’s reigning champions. However, teams, like Vancouver Whitecaps FC, Seattle Sounders FC, Philadelphia Union, San Diego FC and others are looking to unseat the champs and stop the club from repeating in 2026.
To kickoff the new season, Charlotte FC faces off against St. Louis CITY SC at Energizer Park in St. Louis, Missouri. The opening match takes place on Saturday, Feb. 21, with a start time of 2:30 p.m. ET/11:30 a.m. PT. Check out a complete MLS 2026 season schedule here.
Want to watch MLS matches online? The best way for fans to tune into every match for the 2026 season (including Leagues Cup, MLS All-Star Game, MLS Cup Playoffs and MLS Cup Final) is with Apple TV. Subscribers can enjoy all of the action on the pitch at no additional cost, just the price of the streaming service’s subscription — no more MLS Season Pass needed to watch matches.
To watch for free, you can sign up for a 7-day free trial to watch hit Apple TV originals, including “F1: The Movie,” “Pluribus,” “Severance,” “For All Mankind,” “Ted Lasso,” “Long Way Home,” “Killers of the Flower Moon,” “Your Friends and Neighbors,” “Messi Meets America,” “The Morning Show,” “Presumed Innocent,” “Masters of the Air” and others. Afterwards, you can either cancel, or keep watching for $12.99/month, or $99/year.
Meanwhile, Apple TV offers all MLS matches, as well as prematch coverage, post-match analysis, match highlights, player profiles, interviews, team info, match replays and other extras, including MLS NEXT Pro and MLS NEXT, with no blackouts. The streaming service also comes with Spanish-language coverage and more.
Learn more and sign up to watch the 2026 MLS season on Apple TV, below: