USL Championship confirms 2026 season structure

The USL Championship announced Wednesday the competition structure for the 2026 season, with 25 clubs set to begin their pursuit of a place in the 2026 USL Championship Playoffs when the regular season kicks off on Sat., March 7.

The 34-week regular season campaign will conclude on October 24, with the postseason kicking off the following weekend.

The 2026 USL Championship regular season will see the league split into Eastern and Western Conferences with 13 teams in the Eastern Conference and 12 teams in the Western Conference. Joining Charleston in the Eastern Conference are expansion clubs Brooklyn FC and Sporting Club Jacksonville for the new season.

Each club in the Eastern Conference will play 24 or 25 games against in-conference opposition, and 5 or 6 games against Western Conference opposition to complete a 30-game regular season schedule. Each club in the Western Conference will play 24 games against in-conference opposition, and six games against Eastern Conference opposition to complete a 30-game regular season schedule.

The 2026 USL Championship season will be the third in the league’s four-year broadcast agreement with CBS Sports, with games also set to air nationally on ESPN Networks, ESPN+, CBS Sports Network, CBS Sports Golazo Network, and TUDN. A full broadcast schedule will be announced following the release of the 2026 USL Championship schedule.

2026 USL Championship Playoffs

At the conclusion of the regular season, the top eight teams in each conference will qualify for the 2026 USL Championship Playoffs, which will kick off on the weekend of Oct. 31-Nov. 2, 2026.

The USL Championship Playoffs will remain a single-elimination and fixed bracket format. The postseason will conclude with the 2026 USL Championship Final on the CBS Television Network on Nov. 20-22, 2026, with more details to be announced in the coming weeks. 

2026 USL Championship Conference Alignment