For Immediate Release
MLS Communications |
|
|
|
|
|
Major League Soccer Kicks Off 2026 Season on Apple TV
|
Major League Soccer kicks off its 31st season this Saturday on Apple TV, with all 30 teams taking the pitch for MLS is Back weekend.
Against the backdrop of a milestone year for the sport — as the FIFA World Cup comes to North America — Apple TV subscribers in more than 100 countries and regions can enjoy access to every MLS match with no blackouts. They’ll also get in-depth coverage and analysis, exclusive content, and matches beyond the regular season — including the annual Leagues Cup tournament, Michelob ULTRA Campeones Cup, MLS All-Star Game presented by Chime, and the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs.
“All eyes are on North America this year as the MLS season kicks off this week and the World Cup approaches,” said Thomas Müller, Vancouver Whitecaps FC attacking midfielder 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 chance to follow our journey on Apple TV. It’s 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 pitch for MLS is Back weekend — February 21 and 22 — with 13 of the 15 season openers scheduled for Saturday. The day is highlighted by the debut of Walmart Saturday Showdown, featuring a marquee matchup of global soccer icons as Landon Donovan MLS MVP Lionel Messi and the reigning MLS Cup presented by Audi champion Inter Miami CF face off against Son Heung-Min and LAFC to kick off their seasons. The opening weekend will be rounded out with the f irst Sunday Night Soccer match of the season, presented by Continental Tire and featuring the LA Galaxy and New York City FC. The complete regular-season schedule can be found at mlssoccer.com.
Introducing Walmart Saturday Showdown
New for this season, MLS on Apple TV will include Walmart Saturday Showdown, which spotlights a featured matchup within the Saturday slate of matches throughout the regular season, establishing another appointment-viewing experience for fans. Saturday Showdown will feature enhanced production that helps viewers feel more connected to the match, including the addition of remarkable “Shot on iPhone” moments, captured by the world’s most popular camera using dynamic angles that bring fans closer to the action and offer a true window into the speed, skill, pressure, and emotion of the match. Saturday Showdown will premiere on February 21 as LAFC hosts Inter Miami at 9:30 p.m. ET, live from the historic LA Memorial Coliseum.
Sunday Night Soccer by Continental Tire Returns
Sunday Night Soccer presented by Continental Tire, the popular flagship game of the week on Sunday evenings, returns on February 22 at 7 p.m. ET with a bicoastal showdown between the LA Galaxy and New York City FC. Featuring dedicated in-stadium pre- and postgame shows, enhanced production, and bespoke graphics in English and Spanish, these primetime games will air throughout the regular season and spotlight some of the league’s most compelling matchups.
Follow MLS on the Apple Sports App
Fans can stay up to date on scores, stats, standings, and their favorite clubs throughout the MLS season on the free Apple Sports app for iPhone. Users can easily navigate between scores and upcoming matches; explore play-by-play information, team stats, lineup details, and live betting odds; and tap to watch matches on the Apple TV app. Apple Sports also seamlessly syncs with favorites selected within the My Sports experience, including in the Apple TV app and Apple News.
With iOS 18 and watchOS 11, the Apple Sports app offers Live Activities for all MLS matches, delivering live scores and play-by-play info at a quick glance to a user’s iPhone and Apple Watch Lock Screens. Game Card Sharing lets fans share their excitement around the latest results and upcoming matches.
More Ways to Celebrate MLS
- On Apple Music, fans can enjoy exclusive club- and player-curated playlists, with more music content coming throughout the season at apple.co/AM-MLS.
- Apple Maps users can explore dedicated Matchday Guides created by MLS clubs and city guides created by players to find recommendations for local bars and restaurants to catch 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 episodes and collections covering MLS, its clubs and players, and soccer in North America.
More Ways to Watch
DIRECTV customers will now have access to Apple TV’s live sports programming — including MLS matches, F1 in the U.S., and “Friday Night Baseball” — all available directly inside their homes, on the go, or at any of the 300,000-plus 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 Apple TV’s live sports, including all MLS matches, directly within their DIRECTV experience.
New for 2026, EverPass will offer commercial establishments access to stream Apple TV’s complete live sports portfolio — including MLS, Formula 1 in the U.S., 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 viewing experience for Apple TV's live sports. Xfinity customers will have seamless access to live “Friday Night Baseball” games; all MLS matches in English and Spanish; and in the U.S., all F1 practice, qualifying, Sprint sessions, and Grands Prix. Apple TV’s coverage will be directly integrated into the Xfinity X1 and the Xfinity Stream app channel guide so it’s easy to find and watch alongside all their other live sports.
Comcast and Apple are also unlocking free access to MLS 360 – the popular whip-around studio show that provides live looks-ins from every match – for all Xfinity customers. Customers can find MLS 360 in the channel guide, Xfinity Fan View, and Xfinity Multiview throughout the season.
Subscribe to Watch MLS on Apple TV
Apple TV offers premium, compelling drama and comedy series, feature films, groundbreaking documentaries, live sports, and kids and family entertainment, and is available to watch across all of a user’s favorite screens. After its launch on November 1, 2019, Apple TV became the first all-original streaming service to launch around the world, and has premiered more original hits and received more award recognitions faster than any other streaming service in its debut. To date, Apple Original films, documentaries, and series have been honored with 698 wins and 3,258 award nominations and counting, including multi-Emmy Award-winning, history-making comedies The Studio and Ted Lasso, and Oscar Best Picture winner CODA.
Apple TV is available on the Apple TV app in over 100 countries and regions, on over 1 billion screens, including iPhone; iPad; Apple TV 4K; Apple Vision Pro; Mac; popular smart TVs from Samsung, LG, Sony, VIZIO, TCL, and others; Roku and Amazon Fire TV devices; Chromecast with Google TV; PlayStation and Xbox gaming consoles; and at 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 and see the full list of supported devices.
A subscription to Apple TV for this season will be included with each full-season MLS club ticket account.
FOOTNOTES
1. Special offer is good for three months after the first activation of the 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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
