In 2027, Major League Soccer and the Pro League will enact two of the most radical domestic football reforms of the decade—not just changing when and how their seasons are played but why.
These aren’t isolated tweaks: they’re a clear sign that football’s evolving landscape demands both global connection and local clarity.
MLS Takes the Global Plunge
For MLS, the drive to realign the competition calendar has simmered beneath the surface for years. Long criticized for its isolation from the rhythms of world football, the American and Canadian top flight has always operated on a spring-to-winter schedule, clashing with FIFA windows and missing out on the highest activity of the global summer transfer market.
On a decisive Thursday in Palm Beach, the MLS Board of Governors took history into their hands. Starting with the 2027-28 season, the league will synchronize with the traditional European model: a summer start in July, a break for winter weather, and a May climax for the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs and championship final. This wasn’t just a calendar choice—it was a signal of intent.
Why now?
The shift enables clubs to sign and integrate new players during the summer, joining the global market at its most active. For fans, the promise is a marquee playoff event in May, with no competition from the NBA or NFL, no overshadowing by baseball’s opening weeks—a clear stage for soccer’s crescendo. It also means fewer clashes with major international tournaments, giving both players and clubs new freedom to pursue ambition on the world stage.
But there’s also an internal logic: MLS is listening. League polling puts fan support for the switch at a striking 92%. Supporters want to see their teams rise or fall in sync with Europe’s giants. As spectator habits globalize, the league’s leadership sees this as the critical leap toward true world relevance—a moment some are calling “MLS 3.0.”
Belgium Returns to Its Roots: The End of Play-off Confusion
Across the Atlantic, Belgium’s Pro League is taking the opposite journey, returning to tradition after more than a decade of experimentation. Since 2009, Belgium’s top tier inflicted one of the most byzantine playoff systems in Europe on its clubs and supporters: halved points, mini-leagues, multiple post-season paths for championship, relegation, and European places. Once a bold attempt to revive domestic excitement and television ratings, it instead bred fatigue, confusion, and apathy—particularly among mid- and lower-table clubs and their fans.
Starting in 2026-27, the Pro League is going “back to basics.” Eighteen clubs will face each other twice—a clean 34-round campaign. Whoever tops the table is champion; the bottom two are relegated, no play-off safety nets or mathematical acrobatics required.
What changes?
Everything and nothing, all at once. The main winner is clarity: each match will matter, each point will count, and supporters can track the league without needing a mathematics degree. This is a return not just to simplicity, but also to fairness—allowing financial solidarity for smaller clubs, more predictable schedules for everyone, and grassroots engagement that rewards merit over artificial drama.
We have also spoken to Dennis Henderickx, sporting director of the Belgium league, about the change in format.
Yeah, I think for the men’s league or the two leagues because we have two professional leagues the first league and the second league
They are very different of course, Firstly, there was a lot of discussion about the format at the end we changed
Now…
The discussion is, Will it be the right format in the future?
I don’t know, We will see.
I think we had a good format so and that format prepared our team seems really well to European football and you see it also a lot last season we had a really, really good season in Europe, our coefficients improve a lot.
Common Threads
At first glance, these reforms seem to run in opposite directions: MLS turns outward to join the world’s calendar; Belgium turns inward, simplifying its own traditions. But at their heart, both leagues are responding to a universal truth: football supporters crave meaning, coherence, and certainty.
For MLS, that means embracing the sport as a global industry, refusing to isolate itself, and letting local heroes and international stars shine on the biggest stages at the right moments. For the Belgian Pro League, it’s about re-establishing trust with fans, competitors, and broadcasters—taking the gamble that, ultimately, the oldest ways may still create the most genuine excitement.
There are risks with every experiment. MLS must still negotiate collective bargaining realities and ensure its winter break works across its sprawling geography. Belgium knows that clarity doesn’t automatically guarantee drama or attendance and could still face challenges keeping its mid-table clubs engaged.
But these changes should be seen less as divergence and more as a convergence of purpose: prioritizing fans, promoting fair competition, and aligning tradition with modern expectation. In the high-stakes business of football reform, both the United States and Belgium are betting big—that their futures will be brighter, bolder, and more connected to the world, while never losing sight of what made their beautiful games special in the first place.
