MLS Announces Home Openers for 2021 Season

Opening weekend of MLS action highlighted by debut of expansion club Austin FC
All five national broadcast partners to showcase matches on over-the-air networks including:
ABC, FOX, and Univision’s UniMás in the U.S., CTV and TVA in Canada

NEW YORK (Wednesday, March 10, 2021) – As Major League Soccer prepares for the start of the 2021 season, the league today announced the dates and broadcast details of the home openers for all 27 clubs. The opening weekend of MLS action will kick off on Friday, April 16, including five nationally televised matches across the ABC, FOX, and Univision networks in the U.S., as well as matches on CTV, TSN, TVA and TVA Sports in Canada.

Among the highlights of MLS’ 26th season launch will be the historic debut of Austin FC – the league’s 27th club. Austin FC will kick off MLS action against 2020 Concacaf Champions League finalist Los Angeles Football Club at Banc of California Stadium on Saturday, April 17, live on FOX, beginning at 5:30 p.m. ET. Austin FC will celebrate their inaugural home match, and the landmark opening of Q2 Stadium, on Saturday, June 19, as the team faces the San Jose Earthquakes, broadcast live on UniMás and TUDN at 9 p.m. ET.

Joining Austin FC’s Q2 Stadium, the 2021 season will see the opening of two additional world-class soccer stadiums. FC Cincinnati will debut West End Stadium during the club’s 2021 home opener on May 16, hosting Inter Miami CF live on FOX at 4 p.m. ET, and defending MLS Cup champions Columbus Crew SC, who will start the season with home matches at Historic Crew Stadium, will debut its new downtown stadium this summer.

The 2021 opening weekend will be the first time all five national broadcast partners showcase MLS matches on their over-the-air networks, including ABC, FOX, and Univision’s UniMás in the U.S., and CTV and TVA in Canada.

A partner since the League’s inception, the ABC and ESPN networks will kick off their 26^th season of national coverage on Sunday, April 18 as Inter Miami CF host David Beckham’s former club, the LA Galaxy live on ABC and ESPN Deportes at 3 p.m. ET. In the U.S., ESPN+ will stream all regional broadcasts nationally, out-of-market, including 17 club home openers.

FOX Sports presents three matches opening weekend, headlined by Austin FC’s inaugural match against LAFC on FOX, and two additional matches on FS1. All three matches will also be broadcast nationally in Spanish on FOX Deportes.

Univision will be showcasing MLS opening weekend action on UniMás, with simulcast on TUDN. This year, UniMás will shine a spotlight on Orlando’s Exploria Stadium as Orlando City SC host Atlanta United, with new coach Gabriel Heinze, on Saturday, April 17 at 3 p.m. ET.

Any nationally televised matches not aired by a national English-language network will be streamed live in English on Twitter.

Kicking off the season with a bang, Toronto FC will face CF Montreal in the opening weekend of MLS action on Saturday, April 17 with English-language coverage on CTV as well as TSN, and French-language coverage over-the-air on TVA, in addition to TVA Sports, beginning at 2 p.m. ET.

Due to travel restrictions between the U.S. and Canada, the three Canadian clubs will begin the MLS regular season in the U.S. with each club hosting matches in a U.S. city:

• CF Montreal: Miami, Fla.; Inter Miami CF Stadium
• Toronto FC: Orlando, Fla.; Exploria Stadium
• Vancouver Whitecaps FC: Sandy, Utah; Rio Tinto Stadium

Full dates and broadcast details of the 2021 MLS season schedule will be announced in the coming weeks.  

2021 Major League Soccer Regular Season Home Openers
All times are ET. Home teams listed first. Schedule is subject to change.

www.MLSsoccer.com