World Football

The schedule for the 2025 MLS season has been released.

The league released the slate for its 30th season on Thursday. The 30 clubs will play 34 games each, with 17 home games and 17 away games. The league season will begin on Feb. 22, with the opening game being between Lionel Messi-led Inter Miami FC and NYCFC in Fort Lauderdale.

That game will begin at 2:30 p.m. ET and will be followed by 12 more games on that Saturday.

The 2025 season will feature a new team, San Diego FC, and will also see pauses for the Club World Cup and Gold Cup. It will also feature two 30th-anniversary special matchups as DC United will take on the San Jose Earthquakes in honor of the first-ever MLS Game on April 6 while DC United and the LA Galaxy will play on July 12 to honor the first MLS Championship Game.

The season opener will be the first time MLS fans can see Messi and Inter Miami since the team fell in the first round of the 2024 postseason. This came after the team went 22-4-8 and claimed the top overall record in MLS.

The Galaxy are the league's defending champs and will hope to earn a seventh overall championship.

With the 2025 MLS SuperDraft just around the corner, you can find all of the information you need—including the date and time, watching details, draft order and players to know—to prepare you for the annual event below.

When

Friday, Dec. 20 at 2 p.m. ET

Watch

MLS Season Pass

Draft Order

1. San Diego FC

2. San Jose Earthquakes

3. Chicago Fire FC

4. Sporting Kansas City

5. New England Revolution

6. Nashville SC

7. St. Louis City SC

8. Colorado Rapids

9. San Diego FC

10. D.C. United

11. FC Dallas

12. Austin FC

13. CF Montréal

14. Portland Timbers

15. Vancouver Whitecaps FC

16. Colorado Rapids

17. Charlotte FC

18. Houston Dynamo FC

19. Real Salt Lake

20. LA Galaxy

21. Columbus Crew

22. Inter Miami CF

23. Atlanta United FC

24. New York City FC

25. Minnesota United FC

26. Colorado Rapids

27. Orlando City SC

28. Seattle Sounders FC

29. New York Red Bulls

30. LA Galaxy

Players to Know

Alex Harris had a fantastic season for Cornell and appears likely to be a coveted prospect after scoring 19 goals and adding five assists this past season. For teams in need of some scoring upside, Harris provides it.

So does NC State's Hakim Karamoko, who had seven goals and two assists as a sophomore in 2024. And Akron's Emil Jaaskelainen turned plenty of heads this past season, scoring 23 goals and adding eight assists. He was dominant.

Among the midfielders, Ohio State's Michael Adedokun flashed in 2024, earning Big Ten Midfielder of the Year honors.

Sam Bassett, an attacking midfielder for Denver, was named a first-team All-American selection after being a second-team pick last year. He contributed nine goals and 13 assists this season.

This year's draft class isn't as strong on defenders and it wouldn't be surprising if there weren't many selected in the top 10.

Arguably the greatest soccer player of all time is set to make his mark on the hugely popular Fortnite video game on Friday night.

The official Fortnite account on X posted a video Friday showing off the Lionel Messi skins that will be available for purchase:

One of the skins is Messi himself in his soccer kit, while the other is a regal-looking lion, likely playing off Messi's "Leo" nickname.

Per SI.com's Amanda Langell, gamers will get to play as Messi in his uniform or street clothes and as two different lions if they purchase the skins.

Also available for purchase separately or as part of the Messi bundle are two pickaxes, two back blings and two emotes.

Messi is the latest in a long line of superstar athletes and celebrities to be featured in Fortnite.

The 37-year-old Messi is the second-leading goal scorer in the history of major professional soccer behind only Cristiano Ronaldo, and he boasts a résumé that few can challenge.

Messi is an eight-time winner of the Ballon d'Or as the top player in the world, and a two-time FIFA World Cup Golden Ball winner as the top player at the World Cup.

The Argentine has also won four UEFA Champions League titles, and he led Argentina to a World Cup win in 2022.

After primarily starring in Europe for Barcelona and then Paris Saint-Germain, Messi made the move to the United States in 2023, joining Inter Miami.

By virtue of scoring 20 goals in 19 league matches last season, Messi was named MLS MVP, adding another major accolade to his track record.

Saudi Arabia was officially announced as the host nation for the 2034 FIFA World Cup on Wednesday.

The announcement has long been expected since Saudi Arabia was the only nation to submit a bid to host the 2034 World Cup.

FIFA also confirmed the joint bid of Spain, Portugal and Morocco for the 2030 World Cup on Wednesday.

The 2034 World Cup will mark only the second time the global event has been held in a Middle Eastern nation, joining the 2022 World Cup, which emanated from Qatar.

Saudi Arabia has qualified for the FIFA World Cup on six occasions, only managing to make it out of the group stage once in 1994.

As the host nation, Saudi Arabia will automatically be part of the field at the 2034 World Cup and will not be required to qualify.

Saudi Arabia has become a major player on the international sports scene in recent years, funding LIV Golf, hosting multiple WWE pro wrestling and boxing events every year and becoming part of the Formula One racing circuit with the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

Additionally, Saudi Arabia has become a destination for some big-name soccer players, including the legendary Cristiano Ronaldo, who signed with Al Nassr of the Saudi Pro League in December 2022.

As a result of the country's increased sporting footprint, Saudi Arabia has been widely accused of sportswashing, which is the act of using sports as a means of covering up or minimizing human rights violations.

Despite the controversy surrounding the choice, FIFA is moving forward with Saudi Arabia as the World Cup host a decade from now.

Before then, the United States, Mexico and Canada will hold a joint World Cup in 2026, followed by the 2030 World Cup in Spain, Portugal and Morocco.

Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) announced Monday it has terminated David Coote's status with the organization following an investigation into a video in which he disparaged Liverpool and then-manager Jürgen Klopp.

"David Coote's actions were found to be in serious breach of the provisions of his employment contract, with his position deemed untenable," PGMOL said in a statement.

"Supporting David Coote continues to be important to us and we remain committed to his welfare."

In the offending video, which surfaced in November, Coote called Liverpool "s--t" and described Klopp as "f--king arrogant" and a "German c--t," per the Daily Mail's Lewis Steele and Kieran Gill.

ESPN's Dale Johnson noted that Coote's frustration appeared to stem in part from a 1-1 draw between Liverpool and Burnley in July 2020. He was the referee for the match, and Klopp voiced his displeasure with the officiating after the fixture concluded.

England's Football Association launched a separate inquiry into Coote after Stephen Moyes of the Sun reported he may have arranged to issue a yellow card in a Championship match in 2019.

Coote denied any wrongdoing.

"I strongly refute these false and defamatory allegations," he said, per ESPN's Tom Hamilton. Whatever issues I may have had in my personal life they have never affected my decision making on the field. I have always held the integrity of the game in the highest regard, refereeing matches impartially and to the best of my ability."

Coote has the opportunity to appeal the decision PGMOL handed down Monday.

The 42-year-old officiated his first Premier League match during the 2017-18 season and was assigned to the division full time in May 2018.

The Los Angeles Galaxy are MLS champions once again.

The Galaxy claimed the MLS Cup for a league-record sixth time on Saturday with a 2-1 victory over the New York Red Bulls.

Saturday marked LA's first MLS championship since 2014.

The Red Bulls held possession for longer in the final but only managed three shots on net. LA was able to generate six shots on net and 12 attempts and only committed eight fouls.

All of the goals came in the first half, with the Galaxy getting started early.

Joseph Paintsil was able to score in the ninth minute after a strong set and then Dejan Joveljic doubled the lead just a few minutes later.

New York would get on the board via a Sean Nealis goal in the 28th minute but were unable to solve Galaxy goalkeeper John McCarthy during the rest of the match.

The Galaxy were already the franchise with the most MLS championships but this victory extends the lead further. The Red Bulls were vying for the first championship in franchise history.

The Galaxy's run comes after the team went 19-7-8 and finished second in the Western Conference. Los Angeles knocked out the Colorado Rapids in the opening round, Minnesota United FC in the semifinals and the Seattle Sounders in the Conference Final.

West Ham forward Michail Antonio is in stable condition after being involved in a traffic accident on Saturday.

The club said in a statement that Antonio is "conscious and communicating" with hospital staff after a road traffic accident in the Essex area.

Additional details about the accident are not known at this time.

The 34-year-old Antonio has played for West Ham since 2015. He is the club's all-time leading goalscorer in Premier League matches with 68 in 268 appearances.

Antonio has appeared in all 14 Premier League matches for the Hammers this season, scoring one goal and tallying one assist.

West Ham United is one of 10 clubs Antonio has played for since turning pro in 2008. His senior career began with Tooting & Mitcham United, but he left after just four matches to join Reading.

While playing primarily for Reading from 2008 to 2012, Antonio was also loaned out to various clubs during those four years. He had a two-year stint with Sheffield Wednesday from 2012 to 2014.

After a one-year run with Nottingham Forest, Antonio signed with West Ham United in September 2015. The club has finished in the top 10 in the Premier League five times since he joined.

In addition to his club career, Antonio has played for the Jamaican national team since 2021. He scored the country's first-ever goal in Copa América competition in a 3-1 loss to Ecuador on June 26.