Major League Rugby has announced its complete schedule of matches for the 2026 season.
Having dropped to six teams after a merge and some teams dropping out, the six teams—Anthem Rugby Carolina, California Legion, Chicago Hounds, New England Free Jacks, Old Glory DC, and Seattle Seawolves—will compete in a 10-game regular season, hosting and traveling to every opponent once.
After the regular season, the top four teams will earn a spot in the 2026 MLR Playoffs. In the playoffs, the No. 1 seed will host the No. 4 seed, and the No. 2 seed will host the No. 3 seed. Both semifinal matches will be broadcast on ESPN2 in MLR’s first-ever Day of Rugby, featuring back-to-back matches and exclusive playoff programming.
Semifinals winners will meet in the 2026 MLR Championship, with details and location to be announced at a later date.
“This offseason has dealt us a host of challenges, but the league’s resolve has led to some exciting opportunities,” said MLR CRO Lucas Reid. “The support from our six member franchises and rugby fans from around the world have driven us to adapt, and we’re thrilled to bring a world-class rugby product this year as we look towards the future and the number of opportunities that lie ahead.”
In addition, MLR and ESPN will launch Sunday Night Rugby, the first-ever dedicated primetime production of rugby in the U.S. The Sunday Night Rugby broadcast schedule includes nine regular-season matches and one playoff semifinal, and each broadcast will feature a pre-match show and post-match show enveloping the feature match.
“Sunday Night Rugby has long been both a personal and collective goal for us at MLR, a chance to deliver a fan-focused show that elevates our games and continues to raise our broadcast standards,” said Will Hooley, who will host the pre-match and post-match portions of Sunday Night Rugby. “I’m incredibly excited to help bring this vision to life as a host, giving audiences a closer connection to the action through analysis, storytelling, and content designed for both rugby fans and newcomers. Helping grow the sport and enhance our production quality is something I take very seriously, and there’s no better platform to do that than by creating a consistent, high-quality show on a globally recognized outlet like ESPN.”
The return to a single table ensures every team plays the same strength of schedule while allowing teams to play previous inter-conference rivals on a more frequent basis. Several notable fixtures include:
- The California Legion will play the Chicago Hounds on Sunday, April 12, in the first ESPN2 broadcast of the season, which also serves as the first Sunday Night Rugby broadcast on ESPN networks.
- April 19 marks MLR’s first Sunday Showcase. The Chicago Hounds will take on the New England Free Jacks in a rematch of last season’s thrilling Eastern Conference final. The home side will look to avenge back-to-back playoff exits at the hands of the defending champions in an elevated match day environment designed to showcase the American game in advance of the 2031 Rugby World Cup. Then, the California Legion will face the Seattle Seawolves, matching the league’s newest team with one of its most established forces in a high-tempo display of West Coast rugby.
- June 7 will serve as MLR Decision Day, representing the day of final regular-season matches. New England hosts Chicago, and California travels to Seattle to wrap up Week 11, with Old Glory DC and Anthem Rugby Carolina kicking off the weekend on June 6.
The complete schedule is below, with all matches streaming on ESPN+ and all times ET, subject to change:
