Club will begin play in MLS NEXT Pro’s first Summer-to-Spring season at its new soccer-specific stadium at Mitchel Athletic Complex
LONG ISLAND, N.Y. – The Island FC will kick off its inaugural professional season in July 2027 as part of MLS NEXT Pro’s transition to a Summer-to-Spring competition calendar.
The Club will play its home matches at its new soccer-specific stadium at Mitchel Athletic Complex, ushering in a new dawn of professional soccer on Long Island.
MLS NEXT Pro announced today that the league will begin its first full Summer-to-Spring season in July 2027, aligning its calendar with Major League Soccer and leading global soccer leagues. The 2027–28 regular season will consist of 28 matches per club and run from July 2027 through May 2028, followed by the MLS NEXT Pro Playoffs and MLS NEXT Pro Cup in June.
The first half of the season will take place from mid-July through mid-December. Following a winter break, competition will resume in early February and continue through early May.
“This is a pivotal chapter for MLS NEXT Pro and the sport of soccer in our country,” said Eddie Pope, SVP, Competition & Operations, MLS NEXT Pro and SVP, MLS Sporting Development. “With our strategic partnership with KKR announced earlier this year, the tremendous momentum surrounding the FIFA World Cup this summer, and the transition to a new competition calendar in 2027, we are very excited about the next phase of growth for our league.”
The calendar transition will align all three levels of the MLS player pathway—MLS, MLS NEXT Pro and MLS NEXT—beginning with the 2027–28 season. The shared calendar will create additional opportunities for player movement and development throughout the pathway.
The Island FC will release additional details regarding its inaugural season, new stadium and ticketing information in the coming months.
For more information about MLS NEXT Pro and the league’s new competition calendar, visit MLSNEXTPro.com.
