CHICAGO (Nov. 20, 2025) – Chicago Fire FC and Major League Soccer today announced the Club’s 34-match schedule for the 2026 MLS regular season.
Chicago’s 2026 regular season, driven by Carvana, will begin on the road against the Houston Dynamo at 7:30 p.m. CT, at BBVA Stadium. The following weekend, the Fire will host Eastern Conference rival CF Montréal on Saturday, Feb. 28, at Soldier Field. Scheduled to kick off at 1:30 p.m. CT, the match against Montréal will mark the earliest home opener in Chicago Fire history, occurring one day earlier than the Club’s 2025 opener.
Chicago Fire fans can take advantage of Cyber Week to purchase tickets from Friday, Nov. 21, until Monday, Dec. 1. Fans can also sign up for ticket presale access HERE. Presale and on sale information for the general public will be communicated at a later date.
All 510 MLS regular season matches in 2026 will be available on Apple TV in more than 100 countries and regions, offering fans a single destination to watch their favorite teams with no blackouts. In addition, select MLS matches will also be available on the FOX family of networks in the United States and TSN and RDS in Canada.
Schedule Notes
- Chicago will open its 29th season on the road against Houston Dynamo FC on Saturday, Feb. 21 at BBVA Stadium. This will be the earliest season opener in Club history, one calendar day earlier than the Feb. 22 opener at Columbus in 2025.
- Chicago’s 29th all-time meeting against Houston will mark the first time the Fire open a season against the Dynamo. But the Men in Red have plenty of experience opening in Texas, facing Brimstone Cup rival FC Dallas in the Lone Star State five times since 2000, most recently in 2011.
- The Fire will open the home portion of the 2026 season against CF Montréal on Feb. 28 at Soldier Field, the earliest home opener in Club history by one day (the 2025 edition was held on March 1). This will also be the first time Chicago plays Montréal in a home opener. Their only meeting in an opener of any kind was on March 17, 2012, when Chicago faced Montréal at Olympic Stadium in the Canadian side’s first match in Major League Soccer.
- Three of the four matches in April will be played at Soldier Field, part of a busy home stretch on the lakefront with five of six games through May played at home. All but one will be against Eastern Conference opponents.
- Chicago will welcome Sporting KC to Soldier Field for the first time since 2022 on April 25. The old rivals have a lengthy history, meeting in 97 regular season matches and MLS Cup 2000 since 1998. Kansas City has played 11 times at Soldier Field, registering a forgettable mark of 1-8-2 on the lakefront.
- The Men in Red will not see a midweek game until a road match at D.C. United on May 13. Overall, the Fire will play seven matches on Wednesdays or Thursdays, including four at home. All four will feature 2025 MLS Cup Playoff opponents: Vancouver Whitecaps FC (July 16), Inter Miami CF (Sept. 9), Philadelphia Union (Oct. 14) and Orlando City SC (Oct. 28).
- The July 16 home game against Vancouver will be the first for Chicago following a lengthy break for the FIFA World Cup held in North America from June 11-July 19. The rematch of Chicago’s 3-1 road victory in 2025 will be one of six featured matches across the league ahead of the World Cup final played on Sunday, July 19. The Fire’s last match before the break will be played at home on Saturday, May 23 against Toronto FC.
- The Fire will embark on their longest road trip of the season in August, playing four in a row away from Chicago starting on the 19th against Orlando. They will then face Red Bull New York on Aug. 22 before traveling cross-country to the Pacific Northwest for a match against Seattle Sounders on Aug. 29. Chicago will close out the trip north of the border against Toronto FC on Sept. 5.
- Chicago will play two prime time matches as part of Sunday Night Soccer presented by Continental Tire. The Fire will host Western Conference side Portland Timbers on Sunday, Aug. 16, marking the first time since 2018 that the Cascadia side visits Chicago. In their only other Sunday match, the Men in Red will welcome longtime rivals New England Revolution on Sunday, Sept. 13.
