Major League Soccer regular season to run Feb. 22 to Oct. 18 in 2025 with 30 teams

By Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press on December 19, 2024.

Los Angeles Galaxy players celebrate after defeating the New York Red Bulls in the MLS Cup championship soccer match Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024, in Carson, Calif. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Etienne Laurent

Major League Soccer will kick off its 2025 regular season Feb. 22 with all three Canadian teams opening on the road.

Inter Miami hosts New York City FC in the first of 13 games opening day. Montreal visits Atlanta while Toronto plays at D.C. United.

The league grows to 30 teams in its 30th season with the addition of expansion San Diego FC, which opens play Feb. 23 at the champion Los Angeles Galaxy. Vancouver visits Portland in the other Feb. 23 game.

The Whitecaps’ home opener is March 2 against the high-flying Galaxy. Toronto’s home opener is March 15 against Chicago.

CF Montreal doesn’t play at home until April 12 when it hosts Charlotte FC following road games at Atlanta, Minnesota, Vancouver, D.C. United, Nashville, Chicago and Columbus.

Montreal started the 2024 schedule with six straight road games.

Teams will once again play a 34-game regular season, with 17 at home and 17 on the road. Clubs play conference opponents twice, once at home and once away. Each team will also play six different cross-conference opponents.

The regular season runs through Oct. 18.

Seven of Toronto’s home games will be in the afternoon, a scheduling change fans had wanted after a heavy slate of evening contests. The afternoon matchups include a visit by Vancouver on March 29 and Lionel Messi’s Miami on Sept. 27.

Montreal hosts Miami on July 5. Vancouver does not play Miami this season.

As Canadian champions, the Whitecaps are also in the CONCACAF Champions Cup and open their first-round matchup Feb. 20 in Costa Rica against Deportivo Saprissa, with the second leg a week later at B.C. Place.

MLS will pause play June 15-24 for the FIFA Club World Cup, which features both Miami and the Seattle Sounders, and the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 19, 2024.