When does MLS 2023 start? Teams involved, fixtures, prize money & how it works

There is a growing number of football fans both in the United States of America and abroad who have an interest in Major League Soccer (MLS) and the good news for them is that the new season is set to get underway soon.

The 2022 season ended in a thrilling manner and it was followed by the Qatar World Cup which saw another swell of interest within the United States around football. MLS clubs are hoping that the interest in the national team will trickle into the domestic game as the new season begins.

The first weekend should be a thriller with 13 games to get stuck into, so here is everything you need to know about the new campaign.

When does MLS 2023 start?

The MLS season is going to get underway on Saturday, February 25 and as mentioned, there will be 13 matches to enjoy. The Los Angeles derby is one of the games that fans can look forward to.

The regular season will come to an end on October 21 and then the playoffs will begin. It is not yet decided when they will start and finish.

MLS Week 1 fixtures

Fixture	Start Time
Nashville SC vs NYCFC	16:30 ET / 13:30 PT
Philadelphia Union vs Columbus Crew	19:30 ET / 16:30 PT
FC Cincinnati vs Houston Dynamo	19:30 ET / 16:30 PT
Atlanta United vs San Jose Earthquakes	19:30 ET / 16:30 PT
Charlotte FC vs New England Revolution	19:30 ET / 16:30 PT
Orlando City vs NY Red Bulls	19:30 ET / 16:30 PT
D.C. United vs Toronto FC	19:30 ET / 16:30 PT
Inter Miami vs CF Montreal	19:30 ET / 16:30 PT
Austin FC vs St. Louis City FC	20:30 ET / 17:30 PT
FC Dallas vs Minnesota United	20:30 ET / 17:30 PT
LA Galaxy vs LAFC	21:30 ET / 18:30 PT
Vancouver Whitecaps vs Real Salt Lake	22:30 ET / 19:30 PT
Portland Timbers vs Sporting KC	22:30 ET / 19:30 PT

What teams are in MLS 2023?

There are 29 clubs taking part in MLS in 2023 and they will all play 34 matches with the scheduling already confirmed by the league. The list of teams taking part can be seen below.

Atlanta United
Austin FC
Charlotte FC
Chicago Fire FC
FC Cincinnati
Colorado Rapids
Columbus Crew
D.C. United
FC Dallas
Houston Dynamo FC
Los Angeles Football Club
LA Galaxy
Inter Miami CF
Minnesota United FC
CF Montréal
Nashville SC
New England Revolution
New York City FC
New York Red Bulls
Orlando City SC
Philadelphia Union
Portland Timbers
Real Salt Lake
San Jose Earthquakes
Seattle Sounders FC
Sporting Kansas City
St. Louis CITY SC
Toronto FC
Vancouver Whitecaps FC

How does MLS work?

The 29 teams in MLS are geographically divided into Western and Eastern Conferences and they play every team in their conference home and away. There are 15 teams in the Eastern Conference so they have 28 games within their conference. They also then play one game against six different opponents from the Western Conference, giving another six games.

The 14 teams in the Western Conference all play each other twice, which is 26 games. They also then play one game against one or two opponents from their own conference, and then one game against six or seven opponents from the Eastern Conference.

The teams that finish top of each conference qualify for the Conference semi-finals. Those that finish 2nd-7th in each conference go into the first round of the playoffs, all aiming to reach the MLS Cup Final. The date for that final in 2023 is yet to be announced.

MLS 2023 prize money

As there is no traditional promotion or relegation system in Major League Soccer, teams aren't awarded money based on their league position as seen in the Premier League. However, MLS does hand out cash for certain accomplishments, including winning the MLS Cup or reaching the playoffs.

MLS Cup 2022 prize money

Round	Sum
First round	€20,000
Conference semi finals	€47,500
Conference finals	€100,000
MLS Cup runners up	€150,000
MLS Cup winners	€300,000

Where to watch MLS 2023

In order to watch MLS this season in the United Kingdom and in Canada, you will need an Apple TV subscription after they secured a new rights agreement.

In the United States of America, some of the games will be shown on cable TV via FOX and FS1. On the opening weekend in America, the one game broadcast on FOX will be Nashville SC vs NYCFC.

What is the Leagues Cup?

This season features an interruption that has not been seen before. For the first time ever, all 47 MLS and LIGA MX (Mexico) clubs will participate in a reimagined Leagues Cup. The MLS regular season will pause following the July 15 games for the Leagues Cup and will resume on August 20.

Who won MLS last time?

The champions of MLS Cup in 2022 were Los Angeles FC. They topped the Western Conference and made it all the way to the final which took place at the Banc of California Stadium.

They faced Philadelphia Union and it was a very dramatic final. It featured the two latest goals to be scored in an MLS Cup Playoffs match as both Jack Elliott and Gareth Bale scoring in stoppage time, causing the game to end 3-3 after extra-time. LAFC won the subsequent penalty shoot-out 3-0.

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