The Athletic is kicking off the 2026 MLS season in style and will carry that forward by covering the league with the depth, ambition and authority that MLS fans deserve.
This is a pivotal year for the league. Momentum continues to build domestically, global attention is sharper than ever, and the summer’s men’s FIFA World Cup will shine a bright light across the North American soccer landscape. The storylines that develop this month will echo into June and July — and beyond.
To begin this week, we started by ranking the league’s 30 past champions, followed it up with a lighthearted look at MLS’ best, worst and boldest new kits, then argued among ourselves before delivering power rankings of every team (sorry, Kansas City).
Before the big Saturday showdown between Son Heung-min’s LAFC and the defending champion, Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami, we’ve also produced a wide range of season predictions from our roundtable of experts, plus big storylines to follow from former MLS and USMNT forward Charlie Davies.
Throughout the year, Tom Bogert will, as ever, continue to lead the way in breaking all the significant scoops regarding MLS transfers, hirings and firings, while Paul Tenorio and Felipe Cardenas’ annual and forthcoming multi-part, hard-hitting anonymous executive survey should not be missed.
There is a new Monday offering, The Verdict, that reflects and takes a clear view on the biggest issues to emerge from the weekend’s action. Not just what happened — but what it means, and what to expect next.
Meanwhile, Henry Bushnell and Adam Crafton, with their expansive global perspective, will ensure MLS is never covered in isolation, while Melanie Anzidei will dig into the human stories — the personalities, communities and cultural shifts, that give MLS its character.
When developments in Europe or within FIFA reverberate in North America, our global team of experts will explain why they matter. When remarkable things happen, good or bad, like when former MLS coach Adrian Heath was kidnapped and held at knifepoint in Morocco, we will bring you every detail in true Athletic fashion.
For readers who want even more, our dedicated MLS WhatsApp group delivers exclusive content directly from our award-winning writers to cover every twist and turn with you, while the award-winning The Athletic FC newsletter regularly features MLS content as well as global soccer coverage.