A Guide to MLS in FM26

LEAGUE FORMAT

The 2026 season will see 30 teams fighting it out for MLS Cup glory. The league is split into two conferences – Eastern and Western – with 15 teams in each based on geographical locations to reduce travelling. Each team will play 34 games across the regular season.

Each conference’s top seven teams automatically qualify for the first round of the playoffs, with the eighth and ninth placed teams from each conference battling it out in a one-off Wild Card match to make it to the first round. Play-off matches from the first round onwards are played in a best-of-three matches format, building to the MLS Cup Final in early December in a one-off fixture.

There are several other knockout competitions your team may feature in, including the US Cup, Canadian Championship, North American Champions Cup and Leagues Cup.

SQUAD BUILDING

Building your squad is just as important as perfecting your tactics.

The most important thing to bear in mind when putting your squad together is complying with the league’s salary cap. For the 2026 season, this is $6.4m. By making the most of the varying contract options available, you should be on track to stay within the cap and craft a title-winning team with a mix of superstars, utility players and reliable veterans.

There are two main parts to your roster. ‘On Budget’ applies to any contracts that count towards your salary cap and ‘Off Budget’ are contracts excluded from the cap.

There are three on-budget contract options available, which are:

• Senior contracts are the standard professional contracts available in North America
• Designated Player (DP) contracts can only be awarded to the highest-paid players in your squad
• High-potential younger players can be signed to either Young Designated Player (YDP) or U22 Initiative Contracts – these contracts don’t impact the salary cap as much as normal Designated Player contracts

Off-budget options include:

• Generation Adidas (GA) are contracts offered by the league themselves to the best prospects that come through the MLS SuperDraft from college, but these are entry-level contracts and cannot be renewed
• MLS Reserve (RES) contracts are for players new to the league, and these can only be given to those under the age of 25
• Senior Minimum Salary (SMS) are the only contract type that can be on either On/Off budget and this is determined based on the available slots
• The final type of cap-free players are Homegrown players, who have progressed from your academy. Home-grown players who are on either Full-Time, Senior Minimum Salary, or Reserve contracts and will always be off-budget during their initial contract

You need to submit your initial roster in February just before the first game of the season. You cannot have more than 30 players and of those no more than 20 can be ‘Senior’ players (this includes Designated Players). The 20 ‘Senior’ players contribute towards your Salary Cap, with the other 10 players (maximum of six Reserves plus Generation Adidas and some on Senior Minimum Salary) considered ‘off-budget’.

You can amend your roster throughout the season. If you have a player who is expected to be out for at least six regular season games, this allows you to put them on the Disabled List. If you have any players who are going to be out of action for the rest of the season, they can be added to the Season Injury List. In the middle of September, you will have to submit a final Roster list. At this point, the roster will be frozen and no further changes can be made.

Doing either of these things frees up a slot on the roster to sign a replacement for the injured player. However, it’s important to remember that it doesn’t free up any cap space, so that’s something you will need to consider before signing any replacements.

MLS has become renowned for its big-name international imports. But how many can you have in your squad in FM26?

Each club has eight International slots by default. The slots can be traded, allowing you to experiment with your strategy.

The rules are slightly different for MLS’ three Canadian clubs– Toronto FC, Vancouver Whitecaps, and CF Montreal. These clubs have 11 International slots while they also must have a minimum of three Canadians in their squad.

TRADES AND TRANSFERS

Trading is essential for shaping a squad compliant with MLS’ rules. If the players you are trading are of a similar level, then you should be able to trade them without any additional assets. However, it may be the case that one side of the equation needs to offer a little more to secure the trade.

In addition to players, you can also trade:

• General Allocation Money (GAM)
• Draft Allocation
• Player Rights
• International Slots

Player rights might be a new concept to some, but these can be a useful part of the trading process.

These rights are the contractual abilities for a player to play in the league. In some instances, such as if a player leaves you on a free transfer or they came through your academy, you can retain their rights even when they move to another club.

Having the ability to add these to a draft proposal could make all the difference to getting what you want, and they can also set up further deals down the line.

Also consider using your General Allocation Money (GAM) and Targeted Allocation Money (TAM). GAM can be used to reduce the impact of senior players on the salary cap. TAM can be used to bring down the impact of a designated player on the cap to the point that they will now be classified as a player on a senior contract, and, in turn, free up a designated player slot.

DRAFTS

Drafts are essential to all major North American sports. The league has four different drafts at the end of the season, although you don’t have to participate in all of them.

The MLS SuperDraft takes place in December following the conclusion of the season and allows you to recruit up to four players from college or university teams. Eligible players will compete in a showcase match allowing you to do some scouting before draft day.

The order of picks is determined by the season’s league standings. Designed to promote parity across the league, this means that the first pick will always go to the team who finished bottom, followed by the sides that failed to make the playoffs the previous season. After this, the teams that made the playoffs are then included in the order in which they were eliminated, with the league winners having the final pick.

Another draft is the Waiver Draft. This draft takes place at the end of the season for players who aren’t eligible for the Re-Entry Draft, allowing you to snap up youngsters who are out of contract with their old club.

The final draft is the Re-Entry Draft. Players must have played in the league for several years to be eligible for the draft. Re-Entry Draft Stage 1 selections will get an automatic contract extension upon joining your team so be wary of the wages and contract type you are selecting. In the Re-Entry Draft Stage 2, you are only acquiring the MLS rights and will need to negotiate a new contract to sign the selection, otherwise they will not join your club.

TOP TIPS TO MASTER MLS

• Think strategically – use the full range of contract types to build a balanced and competitive squad
• Keep an eye on the salary cap – staying within budget is non-negotiable. Use GAM to buy down contracts for players already on your roster and GAM or TAM when signing new players
• Trade smartly - having the ability to trade players, player rights, allocation money, and draft picks is a fantastic resource and doing it properly could make all the difference. It’s always better to trade a player rather than losing them for nothing if they don’t fit the salary cap
• Make the most of the drafts – they’re a great way to bolster your squad without spending a fortune. Scouting can be difficult but make sure to assign your scouts to the showcase games and after the draft player pool and the Generation Adidas selections when they’re announced

Managing in the MLS on FM26 Console, FM26 Touch or FM26 Mobile

MLS plays slightly differently in FM26 Console, FM26 Touch, and FM26 Mobile.

While you’ll still compete for the Supporters Shield and the ultimate goal is to lead your team to MLS Cup glory, we’ve made the following changes:

• Contracts are just normal player contracts you’ll be used to dealing with in your other FM26 saves
• There’s no set wage structure, so you won’t have to worry about not meeting the salary cap
• Transfers between clubs in the league act just like normal transfers with trades removed from the game
• All drafts are removed

WHO TO MANAGE?

Now you know how to play in MLS, here are some ideas for where your journey stateside should begin.

New York Red Bulls

The Red Bulls were part of the inaugural season of MLS back in 1996, although at that time they were known as the MetroStars. Despite their long history, they’re one of the few original clubs who haven’t lifted the MLS Cup yet.

Playing in the Garden State, they’ve clinched three Supporters Shields’ and had enjoyed a record 15 straight post-season appearances, a streak that finally ended last season.  

Can you get this team, including the likes of Swedish international Emil Forsberg, qualifying for the play-offs again and finally lifting MLS Cup?

Vancouver Whitecaps

The Whitecaps joined MLS in 2011, but their history dates back even further to the mid ‘70s.

Based in British Columbia, the club became the first Canadian team to qualify for MLS Cup play-offs in the 2012 season. They have also clinched 5 Canadian Championships along with a fantastic 2025 MLS Cup play-off run, falling in the final to winners, Inter Miami.

Their squad blends strong American talent – such as Brian White and Sebastian Berhalter – with ex-German international Thomas Müller.

Can you make history with the team and become the first Canadian team to lift MLS Cup? 

San Diego FC

San Diego are the MLS’ newest franchise, joining ahead of the 2025 season as the league’s 30th team.  

Their inaugural season was a hugely successful one, clinching the Western Conference regular season title with 63 points, a record point tally for an expansion team’s first season. The team fell just short in the MLS Cup play-offs, falling at the Conference Final stage to Vancouver Whitecaps.

With talented forwards like Anders Dreyer, Hirving Lozano and Lewis Morgan leading the line, your job is to go a couple steps further and lift the first trophy in club history.

Let us know on our social media channels @FootballManager what team you have decided to take over in your MLS journey.