MLR Announces Full 2026 Schedule

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 playing 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.

• Home schedule for the California Legion is PST will be:

• Saturday, March 28 – Anthem Rugby Carolina at California Legion, 3:00PM
• Saturday, April 4 – New England Free Jacks at California Legion, 4:00PM
• Sunday, April 12 – California Legion at Chicago Hounds, 8:00PM*
• Sunday, April 19 – Seattle Seawolves at California Legion, 8:00PM
• Sunday, April 26 – California Legion at Old Glory DC, 7:00PM
• Saturday, May 9 – California Legion at New England Free Jacks, 4:00PM
• Saturday, May 16 – Chicago Hounds at California Legion , 4:00PM
• Sunday, May 24 – Old Glory DC at California Legion, 8:00PM
• Sunday, May 31 – California Legion at Anthem Rugby Carolina, 4:00PM
• Sunday, June 7 – California Legion at Seattle Seawolves, 9:00PM*

*Denotes match will be broadcast on ESPN2 and bold denotes home match

In addition to local broadcasts, all MLR matches will be available to stream live and on-demand on ESPN+ in the U.S.

For more information on the 2026 schedule, visit majorleague.rugby/fixtures-and-results.

About Major League Rugby:

Major League Rugby is a professional sports league representing the highest level of rugby competition in North America. MLR prides itself in fostering intense, high-stakes competition while bringing together a passionate community built on the values of Respect, Inclusivity, and Tradition. Matches are televised on the ESPN family of networks and streamed via ESPN+. MLR’s six teams span the country in Anthem RC, Chicago Hounds, California Legion, New England Free Jacks, Old Glory DC, and Seattle Seawolves. For more information, visit www.Majorleague.Rugby and follow @USMLR on Twitter and Instagram.