February 19, 2026
UPDATE
Major League Soccer begins the 2026 season on Apple TV
Major League Soccer kicks off its 31st season this Saturday on Apple TV, with all 30 teams taking the field for MLS is Back weekend.
Against the backdrop of a historic year for sports – with the FIFA World Cup coming to North America – Apple TV subscribers in more than 100 countries and regions can enjoy blackout-free access to every MLS match. They will also get in-depth coverage and analysis, exclusive content and matches beyond the regular season, including the annual Leagues Cup tournament, the Michelob ULTRA Champions Cup, the MLS All-Star Game and the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs.
“This year all eyes are on North America as the MLS season begins this week and the World Cup approaches,” said Thomas Müller, attacking midfielder for Vancouver Whitecaps FC and 2014 FIFA World Cup champion. “After joining Whitecaps FC last August, I’m excited to begin my first full season in MLS, help the team build on what we started, and give fans everywhere the opportunity to follow our journey on Apple TV. a great opportunity for our club and the league to shine in such an important year for the sport.
MLS is back: 2026 opening weekend
All 30 clubs will take the field for MLS’s return weekend, February 21-22, with 13 of the season’s 15 opening matches scheduled for Saturday. The day is highlighted by the debut of the Walmart Saturday Showdown, featuring a marquee showdown of global soccer icons as MLS MVP Lionel Messi and reigning MLS Cup champion Inter Miami CF take on Son Heung-Min and LAFC to begin their seasons. The first weekend will be completed with the first Sunday Night Soccer match of the season, presented by Continental Tire and featuring LA Galaxy and New York City FC. The complete regular season schedule can be found at mlssoccer.com.
Introducing Saturday’s Walmart Showdown
New for this season, MLS on Apple TV will include the Walmart Saturday Showdown, which highlights a marquee matchup within the slate of Saturday games throughout the regular season, establishing another appointment viewing experience for fans. Saturday Showdown will feature enhanced production that will help viewers feel more connected to the match, including the addition of notable “iPhone Shot” moments, captured by the world’s most popular camera using dynamic angles that bring fans closer to the action and offer a real window into the speed, skill, pressure and excitement of the match. Saturday Showdown will premiere on February 21 when LAFC hosts Inter Miami at 9:30 pm ET, live from the historic LA Memorial Coliseum.
Sunday night football is back
Sunday Night Soccer presented by Continental Tire, the popular Sunday night flagship game of the week, returns on February 22 at 7 pm ET with a bi-coastal showdown between LA Galaxy and New York City FC. Featuring dedicated pre- and post-game in-stadium programming, enhanced production and custom graphics in English and Spanish, these primetime games will air throughout the regular season and highlight some of the league’s most compelling matchups.
Follow MLS on the Apple Sports app
Fans can stay up to date on scores, statistics, standings and their favorite clubs throughout the MLS season in the free Apple Sports app for iPhone. Users can easily navigate between results and upcoming matches; explore play-by-play information, team statistics, lineup details and live betting odds; and tap to watch games in the Apple TV app. Apple Sports also syncs seamlessly with selected favorites within the My Sports experience, including in the Apple TV app and Apple News.
Running iOS 18 and watchOS 11, the Apple Sports app offers live action for all MLS games, bringing live scores and play-by-play information at a quick glance to the lock screens of the user’s iPhone and Apple Watch. Game Card Sharing allows fans to share their excitement about the latest results and upcoming matches.
More ways to celebrate MLS
- On Apple Music, fans can enjoy exclusive playlists curated by clubs and players, and more music content will be available throughout the season at apple.co/AM-MLS.
- Apple Maps users can explore dedicated game day guides created by MLS clubs and city guides created by players to find recommendations for local bars and restaurants to watch a game, explore city favorites, find detailed information about their stadiums, and more.
- On Apple News, users can easily follow MLS and their favorite teams in the Sports tab and access scores, schedules, standings and top stories from hundreds of top publishers.
- On Apple Podcasts, users can access an MLS hub with curated podcast collections and episodes covering MLS, its clubs and players, and soccer in North America.
More ways to look
DIRECTV customers will now have access to live Apple TV sports programming, including MLS games, F1 in the US and “Friday Night Baseball,” all available right inside their homes, on the go or at any of the more than 300,000 sports bars, restaurants, hotels and other commercial venues served by DIRECTV FOR BUSINESS. Anyone who subscribes to Apple TV through DIRECTV will now be able to discover and watch live Apple TV sports, including all MLS games, directly from their DIRECTV experience.
New for 2026, EverPass will offer retail establishments access to stream Apple TV’s full live sports portfolio, including MLS, Formula 1 in the US and “Friday Night Baseball,” available to new and existing EverPass customers through the EverPass Core package.
Apple will again work with Comcast to offer Xfinity customers an integrated Apple TV live sports viewing experience. Xfinity customers will have seamless access to live “Friday Night Baseball” games; all MLS games in English and Spanish; and in the US, all F1 practices, qualifying, sprint sessions and grand prix. Apple TV coverage will be integrated directly into Xfinity X1 and the Xfinity Stream app’s channel guide to make it easy to find and watch along with all other live sports.
Comcast and Apple are also unlocking free access to MLS 360, the popular interactive studio show that offers live views of every game, for all Xfinity customers. Customers can find MLS 360 in the channel guide, Xfinity Fan View and Xfinity Multiview all season long.
Subscribe to watch MLS on Apple TV
Apple TV delivers compelling drama and comedy series, feature films, groundbreaking documentaries, live sports, and premium kids and family entertainment, and is available to watch on all of your favorite screens. After launching on November 1, 2019, Apple TV became the first all-original streaming service to launch worldwide, and has premiered more original hits and received more award recognitions faster than any other streaming service upon its debut. To date, Apple’s original films, documentaries and series have received 698 awards and 3,258 award nominations and counting, including landmark, multi-Emmy Award-winning comedies. The study and Ted Lassoand winner of the Oscar for Best Picture CODA.
Apple TV is available in the Apple TV app in more than 100 countries and regions, on more than one billion screens, including iPhone; iPad; Apple TV 4K; Apple Vision Pro; Waterproof; popular smart TVs from Samsung, LG, Sony, VIZIO, TCL and others; Roku and Amazon Fire TV devices; Chromecast with Google TV; PlayStation and Xbox game consoles; and on tv.apple.com, for $12.99 per month with a seven-day free trial for new subscribers. For a limited time, customers who purchase and activate a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV or Mac can enjoy three months of Apple TV for free.1 For more information, visit apple.com/tvpr for the full list of supported devices.
An Apple TV subscription for this season will be included with every full-season MLS club ticket account.
- Special offer is valid for three months after first activation of eligible device. One offer per Family Sharing group. Plans automatically renew until cancelled. Other restrictions and terms apply; Visit apple.com/promo for more information.
Press contacts
Crystal Reiter
Apple
c_reiter@apple.com
Apple Media Helpline
media.help@apple.com