MLS Commissioner Hints at Huge League Structure Change

Don Garber said he could “never say never” when asked about the future of MLS following the switch to a winter schedule.

MLS Commisioner Don Garber was candid about the potential intense future changes to the league's structure. / Hannah Foslien/Getty Images

FORT LAUDERDALE — MLS Commissioner Don Garber won’t rule out promotion and relegation in potential future moves the league could make. 

Garber, 68, addressed reporters in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, delivering his annual State of the League update, usually reserved for the MLS Cup host city but relocated due to the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw. 

While he has previously shut down pro-rel potential, he said “never say never” when asked about the topic, as MLS completes its 30th season, and first with 30 clubs across the United States and Canada, with Saturday’s final between Inter Miami and Vancouver Whitecaps FC. 

“There’s no real point of saying never because I don’t know what the future would look like. I certainly never thought we would adapt to the international calendar,” he said, with MLS set to switch to a winter-based schedule to match the world’s best leagues in 2027–28.

“Maybe as the development of the lower divisions continues to grow, as they’ve been doing so well over the years, there will be a proper ecosystem, I’m not sure. Frankly, I don’t believe that ecosystems can exist today, but who knows?

 “I’ve learned never say never. That doesn’t mean we’re having promotion-relegation any time soon.”

Previously, MLS has pushed back against the idea of promotion and relegation. The league kicked off in 1996 with 10 clubs, and its latest introduction, San Diego FC, paid a $500 million expansion fee. 

In addition to ever-growing expansion fees, owner-operators within the single-entity structure of MLS have spent significantly on stadiums, training complexes and other aspects of top-division soccer, making potential relegation less than enticing. 

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Promotion and Relegation Coming to U.S. Soccer

American soccer will welcome promotion and relegation through the USL in 2027–28. / Courtesy of Tampa Bay Rowdies

While MLS may not commit to introducing promotion and relegation yet, the system will make its way into American soccer in the near future, with the USL stating that it plans to start a Division I league in 2027–28 and feature a pro-rel system. 

The USL’s plans, though, have been hampered by a contentious labor dispute between the USL Championship owners and players, with the USLPA demanding higher professional standards among the league’s 24 teams, all currently classified as Division II within U.S. Soccer. 

Should MLS reach that point, Garber would not be involved in a Commissioner capacity. The New York City native has led the league since 1999 and signed on in 2024 to remain in the role through 2027, before MLS adopts the new schedule in 2027–28. 

“Right now I’m focused on the next couple of years, and I’ll think about that and have a conversation with the MLS ownership at that right time,” he said.

“I wasn’t thinking about the renewal of my last contract with an eye towards the calendar change because we had no idea back then that we’d be doing it. But we'll figure it out.”

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