Inter Miami CF will play 14 regular-season matches during Major League Soccer’s one-time 2027 Sprint Season as MLS moves to a summer-to-spring calendar. The abbreviated season will run from February through May 2027 and include the Audi 2027 MLS Cup Playoffs and the 2027 MLS Cup presented by Audi. The Sprint Season will carry the same significance as a full MLS season.
MLS will begin its new calendar in July 2027, with competition running through May. The Sprint Season will serve as the transition to that schedule while crowning an MLS Cup champion and creating qualification paths for the 2028 Concacaf Champions Cup and 2028 Leagues Cup. MLS described the change by saying, “A new era of fútbol is coming to MLS starting in 2027.”
How the Sprint Season will work
Each club will play 14 regular-season matches, split evenly between seven home games and seven away games. Every match will be against a conference opponent, with each team facing its 14 conference opponents once. Inter Miami will have seven regular-season home matches at Nu Stadium.
Inter Miami also listed Military Appreciation Night, Women’s Empowerment Night, Youth Fútbol Night, Teacher Appreciation and First Responder Night among its 2027 Group Nights. The source did not identify individual match dates or opponents for those home games. The club’s seven-game home schedule will be part of the brief transition season before MLS begins its new calendar in July 2027.
Playoff and cup qualification stakes
The top eight teams in each conference, 16 clubs in total, will qualify for the Audi 2027 MLS Cup Playoffs. Each conference will use a single-elimination bracket to determine its champion, and the Eastern Conference champion will meet the Western Conference champion in the 2027 MLS Cup presented by Audi. Every playoff game, including MLS Cup, will be hosted by the team with the higher position in the final 2027 Supporters’ Shield standings.
The Sprint Season will create five qualification paths to the 2028 Concacaf Champions Cup. The qualifying clubs will include the 2027 MLS Cup presented by Audi winner, the 2027 Supporters’ Shield winner, the 2027 MLS Eastern or Western Conference regular-season winner and the next two best clubs in the 2027 Supporters’ Shield standings.
The top nine teams from each conference will qualify for the 2028 Leagues Cup. MLS clubs will also participate in the 2028 Canadian Champions and the 2028 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. All three Canadian MLS clubs will continue to participate in the Canadian Championship, while U.S. Soccer will announce further details about the 2028 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup format.
What the format means for Inter Miami
Inter Miami’s regular season will be abbreviated, but the club will still have multiple objectives within the format. A top-eight finish in the Eastern Conference would secure a playoff berth, while the club’s final Supporters’ Shield position could determine whether it hosts postseason matches. The single-elimination format makes the conference standings important beyond playoff qualification.
The seven home matches at Nu Stadium will give Inter Miami a defined home window during the transition season. The club’s listed Group Nights will add designated themes to that schedule, although individual opponents and dates were not identified in the supplied material. Inter Miami’s conference results will also affect its position in the pathways to the 2028 Concacaf Champions Cup and 2028 Leagues Cup.
FSB Take
Inter Miami will enter a compact regular season in which seven home matches and seven away matches determine playoff access and Supporters’ Shield position. The club’s most immediate objective will be finishing among the Eastern Conference’s top eight, while a stronger final standing could provide home hosting rights in the single-elimination playoffs. The Sprint Season also gives Inter Miami several opportunities to qualify for 2028 international competitions through its league finish and postseason results.
Source: Original report