- All MLS matches will air live on MLS Season Pass; Apple TV’s unprecedented streaming service on the app launching February 1.
- Fans to enjoy consistent match windows Saturdays and on select Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. local time
Major League Soccer today, announced the release of the complete 2023 MLS regular season schedule. The inaugural campaign of the league’s 29th club, St. Louis CITY SC highlighted the announcement.
St. Louis City SC will not be the only new addition to the MLS making a debut. The 2023 season will also be graced with the MLS Season Pass, a joint subscription service created by Apple and Major League Soccer.
The MLS Season Pass will stream every match happening during the MLS regular season, Audi 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs, and Leagues Cup1 all on one platform, and with no blackouts.
With the MLS Season Pass, soccer fans can watch MLS matches across numerous devices through the Apple TV app on Apple devices, smart TVs, streaming devices, set-top boxes, game consoles, and on tv.apple.com.
The launching of MLS Season Pass on February 1, 2023, will officially mark the kickoff of the 10-year partnership between MLS and Apple, which is the first for a major professional sports league.
As a way to build a schedule that serves passionate fans best and increases viewing and attendance too, most of the games in the 2023 season will be set for Saturdays and select Wednesdays, with start times at 7:30 p.m. local times.
To complement this, MLS Season Pass will provide a five-hour live whip-around show, that captures all the key moments from every match from the beginning of the Eastern Conference games through the end of the Western Conference games (7:30 p.m. ET – 12:30 a.m. ET).
Furthermore, a selection of MLS and Leagues Cup matches, including big playoff matchups, will be made available at no extra cost to Apple TV+ subscribers, with a number of matches showing for free on the Apple TV app. Choice matches will also be available on FOX networks in the U.S., and on TSN and RDS in Canada.
Fox Sports will show 34 games in 2023, this includes 15 matches on FOX and 19 games on FS1, with all of the station’s broadcast providing Spanish-language of Fox Deportes.
In the following weeks, the extensive schedule for TSN and RDS regular season matches will be announced, with at least one match per week played by a Canadian team.
Find the full MLS schedule here. Highlights of the 2023 MLS Regular season schedule are listed out below:
“MLS Is Back” Opening Weekend
MLS is Back on Saturday, February 25, as the teams take to the pitch to make their 2023 debuts. Every match happening on the MLS is Back opening weekend will be available for free streaming on the Apple TV app.
Nashville SC will play the first match of the 2023 season. Landon Donovan, MLS MVP Hany Mukhtar will host the New York City Football Club, with Brazillian star Talles Magno at GEODIS Park at 4:30 p.m. ET, live on the Apple TV app and on FOX and FOX Deportes.
Opening day action will continue with a tense EL Tráfico match scaling new heights at the famous Rose Bowl, when LA Galaxy begins the season against reigning MLS Cup champions and crosstown rivals, the Los Angeles Football Club at 9:30 p.m. ET, live on the Apple TV app.
St. Louis CITY SC’s Debut
The debut of the Major League Soccer’s expansion team St. Louis CITY SC marks the welcoming of a new club by the league.
St. Louis will kick off their inaugural campaign on the road against Austin FC at Q2 Stadium and live on MLS Season Pass, on Saturday, February 25th at 8:30 p.m. ET.
The new club will make their anticipated home debut as hosts to 2021 season’s newcomers Charlotte FC at CityPark on Saturday, March 4 at 8:30 p.m. ET.
With a 22,500 capacity and over 60,000 season ticket deposits at CityPark, St. Louis FC has everything it needs for a memorable home-field inauguration.
Rivalry Week Returns
Rivalry Week will feature four days of the MLS’ fiercest rivalry matches, showing from May 13-20.
Kicking off Saturday, May 13 at 7:30 p.m. ET on MLS Season Pass, fans will witness a Southern competition featuring hosts, Atlanta United playing Charlotte FC at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. And at the same time, the New York Red Bulls will play Hudson River rivals NYCFC at Red Bull Arena.
California Clásico will force LA Galaxy to lock horns with San Jose Earthquakes live at Dignity Health Sports Park on Sunday, May 14 at 9:30 p.m.ET on MLS Season Pass, FS!, and Fox Deportes. After which, an intriguing slate of nine matches will bring Rivalry Week to an end on Saturday, May 20.
MLS 2023 All-Star Game By Target
Target will present the 2023 MLA All-Star Game which is set for Wednesday, July 19 at Audi Field, home of D.C. United. The opponent for this Major League Soccer showcase event is yet to be announced.
Leagues Cup Break
In a noteworthy new chapter for North American Soccer, starting from 2023, all 47 MLS and LIGA MX clubs will play in a totally reimagined Leagues Cup. This is an annual, month-long, Concacaf-sanctioned tournament.
Leagues Cup 2023 will make history as the first major soccer tournament to feature all the teams from a pair of top-flight leagues.
On July 15, the MLS regular season will take a break following the games for Leagues Cup play and resume as usual on August 20th.
MLS Cup Rematch
There will be a rematch on September 23rd, live on MLS Season Pass for the 2022 MLS Cup and last year’s two best regular season teams will feature Philadelphia Union VS LAFC.
MLS Decision Day 2023
For the final day of action, October 21st, every club will face intraconference opponents with everything placed on the line in a battle for playoff spots and seeding. Kickoff times for MLS Decision Day will be announced at a later date.
Further details on the Audi 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs will also be announced at a later date.
MLS Conference Alignment
Following St. Louis CITY SC’s addition to the Western Conference, Nashville SC will rejoin the Eastern Conference.
MLS Schedule Construction
The 15 Eastern Conference teams will play:
- Two games vs. each intraconference opponent (28 games)
- One game vs. six different cross-conference opponents (6 games)
The 14 Western Conference teams will play:
- Two games vs. each intraconference opponent (26 games)
- One game vs. 1 or 2 additional intraconference opponents (1-2 games)
- One game vs 6 or 7 different cross-conference opponents (6-7 games)
Extra Notes about the 2023 MLS Schedule
- During the October and November FIFA international windows, the MLS will take a break. MLS clubs received the option to play in the June and September FIFA international window, and 13 clubs elected to do so.
- The five MLS teams that qualified for the Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League will kick off the first leg of Round of 16 play on March 7-9. Competing teams include – Austin FC, LAFC, Orlando City SC, Philadelphia Union, and Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Learn more about the official Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League schedule.
- Seattle Sounders FC will compete in the FIFA Club World Cup, kicking off on February 1-11 in Morocco. Match dates and times are to be confirmed.
Follow MLS Clubs on the Apple TV App and Apple News
Major League Soccer fans can catch all the action in 2023 by following their favorite teams through My Sports on the Apple TV app.
Using iOS 16, Apple launched a new My Sports section across iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV so that user can conveniently follow their favorite clubs, teams, and leagues.
Fans can visit apple.co/MySportsMLS on their iPhone or iPad to access the Apple TV app and keep up with their favorites, receive notifications for upcoming games, follow scores in real-time, etc.
With My Sports, fans can also get personalized, real-time sports coverage from Apple News. They can stay updated with the best stories from top publications and get live scores, schedules, standings, and highlights.
Subscribing to MLS Season Pass
From February 1st, fans can subscribe to the MLS Season Pass via the Apple TV app for $14.99 monthly during the season or 99$ per season. Apple TV+ subscribers can sign up at $12.99 a month and $79 a season.
Subscribing to the MLS Season Pass comes with a full-season ticket account. By using Family Sharing, up to six family members can share a subscription using their individual Apple ID and password.
Leagues Cup and Campeones Cup for viewers in Mexico are excluded.
Following the release of the MLS schedule, league fans can keep up with Football Prediction on all MLS matches on MatchPlug.
