DC United announce 2026 schedule featuring Inter Miami match in Baltimore
Surprise…the schedule is here! In what is likely the earliest release ever, Major League Soccer released the full 2026 league schedule today. Within that, we learned when DC United’s 34 league matches will take place this season.
The Black-and-Red will open the season at home against Supporters’ Shield winners Philadelphia Union on February 21st. The club also confirmed a high profile event where they will host Inter Miami on Saturday, March 7th at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. The club has long wanted to expand its footprint to the Baltimore region and they seek to capitalize on the popularity of Inter Miami and Lionel Messi. Messi has yet to play in the DMV, missing each of Inter Miami’s trips to Audi Field due to injury since he signed with the team. The hope is that an earlier season matchup gives fans a greater chance of seeing a healthy Messi on the field.
The biggest sporting event on the planet takes place in the summer with the 2026 World Cup coming to the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Due to preparations for that and the FIFA mandatory release period for players who are called up for World Cup rosters, the league will take a 7-week break from May 25th through July 16th. They will return with matches on July 16th and 17th ahead of the final weekend of the World Cup, with the 3rd place match on July 18th and the World Cup final on July 19th.
DC United returns from the World Cup break on July 22nd with a midweek trip to Houston. The MLS All-Star Game will be in Charlotte on July 29th, and the team will play all the way through October, with Decision Day coming on November 7th. The league will then pause for the November international window before a month-long uninterrupted MLS Cup Playoffs will commence, leading up to the MLS Cup final sometime in mid-December.
Every league match in 2026 will be featured on Apple TV with a subscription, with MLS Season Pass being sent to pasture. While it still requires an Apple TV subscription, no further paywall tier is necessary to watch the matches. DC United full season ticket holders will receive a free subscription to Apple TV for the season so they can watch all the matches. DC United also has one match on national TV: Saturday, May 9th when they play on the road against Nashville SC. It’s the final season for Major League Soccer under the current spring-to-fall schedule format. In 2027, they will shift to a fall-to-spring schedule with a spring transition season.
The complete D.C. United 2026 schedule (all times Eastern):
Saturday, February 21st, 7:30pm vs. Philadelphia Union
Sunday, March 1st, 2:30pm @ Austin FC
Saturday, March 7th, 4:30pm vs. Inter Miami (M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore)
Saturday, March 14th, 8:30pm @ Chicago Fire
Saturday, March 21st, 7:30pm @ Atlanta United
Saturday, April 4th, 7:30pm vs. FC Dallas
Saturday, April 11th, 7:30pm @ New England Revolution
Saturday, April 18th, 7:30pm @ Philadelphia Union
Wednesday, April 22nd, 7:30pm @ New York Red Bulls
Saturday, April 25th, 7:30pm vs. Orlando City
Sunday, May 3rd, 4:30pm @ NYCFC (Citi Field, Queens)
Saturday, May 9th, 9:00pm @ Nashville SC (FS1 national broadcast)
Wednesday, May 13th, 7:30pm vs. Chicago Fire
Saturday, May 16th, 7:30pm vs. St. Louis City
Saturday, May 23rd, 7:30pm vs. CF Montréal
May 25th-July 16th – MLS league-wide break for 2026 World Cup
Wednesday, July 22nd, 8:30pm @ Houston Dynamo
Saturday, July 25th, 7:30pm vs. Toronto FC
Saturday, August 1st, 7:30pm vs. Nashville SC
Saturday, August 15th, 7:30pm @ CF Montréal
Wednesday, August 19th, 7:30pm vs. New England Revolution
Saturday, August 22nd, 7:30pm @ Charlotte FC
Saturday, August 29th, 7:30pm vs. LAFC
Saturday, September 5th, 7:30pm @ FC Cincinnati
Wednesday, September 9th, 7:30pm vs. Columbus Crew
Saturday, September 12th, 7:30pm vs. Atlanta United
Saturday, September 19th, 7:30pm vs. Charlotte FC
Saturday, September 26th, 10:30pm @ Vancouver Whitecaps
Saturday, October 10th, 7:30pm @ Inter Miami
Wednesday, October 14th, 7:30pm vs. New York Red Bulls
Saturday, October 17th, 7:30pm @ Orlando City
Saturday, October 24th, 7:30pm vs. FC Cincinnati
Wednesday, October 28th, 7:30pm @ Toronto FC
Saturday, October 31st, 7:30pm @ Columbus Crew
Saturday, November 7th, 4:00pm vs. NYCFC
So we’ll be opening the season with a 6-0 or 7-0 thumping by Philly.
And after a one year reprieve, Red Bull is on Wednesday again, and during the school year. Both home and away.
The league is trying to kill The Atlantic Cup…or at least that’s how it feels.
The team’s reveal video was… pretty weak. Especially in light of the fact that the Chicago Fire revisited the greatest thing MLS has ever done (Mike Magee’s Day Off) to do their schedule reveal.
I can’t wait for 2027 and the new groups so that MLS can stuff DC and MetroBulls into different groups and put a fork in the rivalry that they have been sabotaging for years now.