Sporting KC’s 2026 MLS schedule is out. World Cup-year highlights kindle interest
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- MLS released Sporting KC’s 2026 schedule: season opens Feb 21, home Feb 28.
- Key rival matches vs St. Louis and Minnesota fall on midweek dates, reducing travel.
- MLS pauses six weeks for the 2026 World Cup; postseason resumes uninterrupted.
Sporting Kansas City’s 2025 season came to a halt just one month ago.
Now we know how long it will be until they play again in 2026.
Major League Soccer released its 2026 schedule Thursday afternoon. Sporting KC will begin the year on the road, visiting the San Jose Earthquakes on Feb. 21.
Sporting’s first home match set for Feb. 28 against the Columbus Crew at Children’s Mercy Park.
All MLS play will pause for six weeks during the FIFA World Cup. Sporting KC’s final game before the World Cup — which includes matches at Arrowhead Stadium in KC— is May 23 at home against the New York Red Bulls.
Sporting KC’s first game following the World Cup break is set for July 16, on the road against St. Louis City SC.
Unfortunately, all of Sporting KC’s games with its closest rivals in the Western Conference — St. Louis City and Minnesota United — will be played on midweek dates. This limits the number of fans who will be able to travel back and forth. And Sporting-City games have typically featured a raucous and intense atmosphere.
After the league-wide World Cup pause, the MLS postseason will be uninterrupted. The MLS Cup Playoffs will begin after the November 2026 FIFA international window.
For the past three seasons, the MLS’ regular season has culminated in Decision Day, which takes place the weekend after the October FIFA window. And a 10-day FIFA window has divided MLS’ first-round and conference semifinal matches each November.
Sporting KC experienced this in 2023, when — after sweeping St. Louis City in the first round Nov. 5 — Kansas City did not play its conference semifinal matchup against Houston until Nov. 26.
Sporting KC’s schedule has become increasingly travel-friendly in recent years. Sporting’s worst road-trip stretch in 2026 will occur in September, when the team travels to Dallas on Sept. 5 before playing in Seattle against the Sounders on Sept. 9.
Sporting KC will returns home that Saturday to play host to Los Angeles FC. All other midweek matches are played within the Central Time Zone.
Decision day for Sporting KC will be Nov. 7 at San Diego FC.
Here is the full 2026 MLS Schedule for Sporting Kansas City:
Sporting Kansas City 2026 schedule
Home games in CAPS and all times Central
February
21-at San Jose, 9:30 p.m.; 28-COLUMBUS, 7:30 p.m.
March
7-SAN DIEGO, 7:30 p.m.; 14-at LA Galaxy, 8:30 p.m.; 21-COLORADO, 7:30 p.m.
April
4-at Real Salt Lake, 3:30 p.m.; 11-SAN JOSE, 7:30 p.m.; 17-at Vancouver, 9:30 p.m.; 25-at Chicago, 7:30 p.m.
May
2-SEATTLE, 1:30 p.m. (national TV: FOX); 9-at Portland, 9:30 p.m.; 13-LA GALAXY, 7:30 p.m.; 16-at Austin, 7:30 p.m.; 23-RED BULL NEW YORK, 7:30 p.m.
July
16-at St. Louis, 7:30 p.m.; 22-MINNESOTA, 7:30 p.m.; 25-at Los Angeles FC, 9:30 p.m.
August
1-HOUSTON, 7:30 p.m.; 15-at Colorado, 8:30 p.m.; 19-ST. LOUIS, 7 p.m. (national TV: FS1); 23-at Atlanta, 6 p.m.; 29-VANCOUVER, 7:30 p.m.
September
5-at Dallas, 7:30 p.m.; 9-at Seattle, 9:30 p.m.; 12-LOS ANGELES FC, 7:30 p.m.; 19-PHILADELPHIA, 7:30 p.m.; 26-at Houston, 7:30 p.m.
October
10-PORTLAND, 7:30 p.m.; 14-at Nashville. 7:30 p.m.; 17-REAL SALT LAKE, 7:30 p.m.; 24-AUSTIN, 7:30 p.m.; 28-at Minnesota, 7:30 p.m.; 31-DALLAS, 7:30 p.m.
November
7 at San Diego, 6 p.m.
Sperry covers soccer for The Star. He can be reached at sperry.danielkc@gmail.com.
This story was originally published November 20, 2025 at 2:43 PM.