The 2026 season is the 18th season for Seattle Sounders FC in Major League Soccer (MLS), the top flight of professional club soccer in the United States. It is the 43rd season for a professional team bearing the Sounders name, which had originated in 1974 with the first incarnation of the franchise. The team remained under the management of Brian Schmetzer in his tenth full MLS season as head coach of the Sounders.
The Sounders will play 34 matches in the MLS regular season and also qualified for the 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup as winners of the 2025 Leagues Cup. The team also played in the 2026 edition of the Leagues Cup. During the 2025 season, Seattle finished fifth in the Western Conference standings and qualified for the MLS Cup playoffs, where they were eliminated in the first round by Minnesota United FC. The Sounders also played in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup and the 2025 CONCACAF Champions Cup.
The 2026 season will be the last full season under the spring–autumn format used by MLS since it began play in 1996. The league plans to use a autumn–spring schedule beginning in late 2027 with a long winter break.
Summary
Preseason
The Sounders opened their 2026 preseason training camp on January 12 and retained most of their roster from the 2025 season. Among the new signings are midfielders Nikola Petković, who was loaned from Charlotte FC, and two players from reserve team Tacoma Defiance—forward Yu Tsukanome and midfielder Sebastian Gomez. Homegrown midfielder Obed Vargas left the team during preseason to sign with Atlético Madrid of La Liga.
On January 18, the team traveled to Quinta do Lago in Portugal for one week of training and one friendly match at Estádio Algarve. They lost 2–0 to Brøndby IF and traveled on January 26 to the Marbella Football Center in Spain for the remainder of their overseas preseason. The Sounders won their first friendly against IF Brommapojkarna and played two full-length matches on February 5—defeating Hammarby IF and losing to FC Metalist 1925 Kharkiv. The Sounders returned to Seattle in early February and won two friendlies against Louisville City FC at their home training facility.
Regular season
Following their season opener against the Colorado Rapids in late February, the Sounders played five regular season matches on the road while Lumen Field underwent preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The stadium's normal FieldTurf surface was covered with a temporary grass field that is planned to be used during the World Cup and other events until July. The team returned to Lumen Field on April 15 for a CONCACAF Champions Cup match against Tigres UANL, which was played on the grass surface. The Sounders maintained a home unbeaten streak through all competitions that had begun after the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup and continued into the 2026 season. It ended after 22 matches with a 2–0 loss to the LA Galaxy on May 16—the final home match before the World Cup break.
The Sounders had 18 days of rest before resuming training to prepare for the second half of the season. The team's training facility was used by the Belgium national team as their base camp during the World Cup. The Sounders lost 2–1 to Belgium in a 60-minute training scrimmage on June 17; Sounders players also appeared at various watch parties and events during the tournament. The MLS season resumed on July 16 with a rivalry match against Portland Timbers at Lumen Field, where the Sounders lost 5–1 with several key players missing due to injuries. The team ended their eight-match losing streak in league matches with a 1–1 draw against FC Cincinnati on August 22. The lineup had shifted several times due to additional player injuries and a schedule that included multiple midweek matches.
In the first round of the Leagues Cup, the Sounders traveled to play Toluca FC in the tournament's first match hosted in Mexico. They lost 3–0 despite Stefan Frei making 15 saves in his return to the team. The team returned to Seattle to host Querétaro FC and won 3–0 with a modified lineup; Sebastian Gomez made his first start and scored his first goal for the Sounders. The Sounders were eliminated from the Leagues Cup with a 2–1 loss to Chivas de Guadalajara and finished with three points in the tournament table. On August 25, the team traded $6million to Sporting Kansas City to sign Serbian striker Dejan Joveljić to a four-year Designated Player contract. To comply with roster rules, Albert Rusnák's contract was modified to fall below the Designated Player threshold and open a slot. It was the first Sounders signing during the summer transfer window for an outside player since Léo Chú was acquired in 2021.
Non-competitive matches
Preseason
The preseason schedule was released by Seattle Sounders FC on January 22, 2026.
Competitions
Major League Soccer
League tables
Regular season
The MLS regular season schedule was released on November 20, 2025. The Sounders will play 34 matches—17 at home and 17 away—primarily against the 14 other teams in the Western Conference; the team is scheduled to play six opponents from the Eastern Conference. The regular season included a six-week break for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in May and June. The Sounders had five consecutive away matches from February to April while Lumen Field underwent preparations to host the World Cup, including the installation of a grass pitch to temporarily replace the artificial turf.
CONCACAF Champions Cup
The Sounders played in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, the regional club championship for North America, Central America, and the Caribbean, for the ninth season since entering MLS. The team qualified for the tournament as winners of the 2025 Leagues Cup and were granted a bye to the round of 16. Due to preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup at Lumen Field, the Sounders hosted their round of 16 match at One Spokane Stadium in Spokane, Washington.
Round of 16
Quarterfinals
Leagues Cup
The Sounders are one of 18 MLS teams that qualified for the 2026 Leagues Cup based on their performance during the 2025 regular season. The tournament begins in early August and concludes in late September with the same format as the 2025 Leagues Cup: three matches in the first phase against teams from Liga MX and a knockout round for the top four teams from each league. The Sounders opened their Leagues Cup run with the competition's first match to be played in Mexico.
Players
For the 2026 season, the Sounders are permitted a maximum of 30 signed players on the first team, of which 20 players are part of the senior roster and 10 positions are designated for supplemental and reserve players. Additional homegrown players are eligible to be signed to off-roster slots and are able to appear in MLS matches through short-term agreements. The senior players count towards a base salary cap of $6.4million with exceptions for certain categories, including up to three Designated Players, who counted for a set amount in the cap. The Sounders chose the Designated Player model for roster construction and have two unused under-22 initiative slots.
The Sounders had $2 million in available general allocation money after the summer transfer window that could be used for trades or contract modifications.
Roster
+ Seattle Sounders FC first team rosterNo.NameNationalityPositionAgeSignedContractendsPrevious clubNotes 4 2026 2026 5 2017 2029 7 () 2015 2027 9 2026 2026 U-22 9 2026 2030 10 2024 2027 11 2022 2029 (until Aug. 25) 13 2016 2027 ; 14 2023 2029 16 2018 2029 17 2025 2027 19 2024 2028 20 2025 2026 International 24 2014 2027 25 2022 2027 26 2021 2027 27 2025 2027 28 2020 2026 30 2026 2026 Short-term agreement 31 2026 2028 32 2026 2026 Short-term agreement 33 2025 2026 ; loaned out 35 2026 2026 36 2026 2026 International; loaned out 37 2025 2028 39 2023 2026 40 2026 2026 Short-term agreement 42 2026 2026 Short-term agreement 44 2026 2026 U-22; International; on loan 45 2026 2026 50 2026 2026 53 2026 2026 Short-term agreement 84 2026 2026 Short-term agreement 85 2025 2030 90 2026 2029 95 2025 2029 Loaned out
Coaching staff
Technical staff
Transfers
The MLS season has two normal transfer windows during which teams can register new players from outside of the league and those who required an International Transfer Certificate. The primary window is open from January 26 to March 26; a secondary window is scheduled from July 13 to September 2. Teams are required to have their rosters compliant with league rules by February 20 and will be unable to make changes beyond the roster freeze on October 9. Between the transfer windows, teams are allowed to sign free agents or other U.S.-based players, including those traded between MLS teams for other players, general allocation money, or various league slots.
For transfers in, dates listed are when Seattle Sounders FC officially signed the player to the roster. Transactions where only the rights to the players are acquired are not listed. For transfers out, dates listed are when Seattle Sounders FC officially removed the players from its roster, not when they signed with another club. If a player later signed with another club, his new club will be noted, but the date listed here remains the one when he was officially removed from the Seattle Sounders FC roster.
In + Incoming transfers for Seattle Sounders FC Player Previous team Notes Date 31 MF Free agent signed through the 2027–28 season with club options 50 GK Claimed off end-of-year waivers and signed to one-year contract with club options 4 DF Signed to one-year contract with club option 44 MF One-year loan from Charlotte FC in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2027 MLS SuperDraft and up to $250,000 in general allocation money 90 MF Signed to four-year Homegrown Player contract with club option 36 FW Signed to one-year contract with club option 45 MF Short-term agreement under "extreme hardship" rule 35 DF Short-term agreement under "extreme hardship" rule 35 DF Signed to one-year contract with club options 45 MF Signed to one-year contract with club options 9 FW Traded for $6 million; signed four-year Designated Player contract with club option 8 MF Traded for second round pick in the 2028 MLS SuperDraft pick and $50,000 in 2027 general allocation money if retained by Seattle
Out + Outgoing transfers for Seattle Sounders FC Player New team Notes Date 4 DF Option declined 29 GK Option declined 77 MF Option declined 3 DF Option declined 15 DF Out of contract 6 MF Retired Out of contract 75 MF Transferred for undisclosed amount 18 MF Transferred for undisclosed amount with a sell-on percentage 21 MF Traded for $800,000 in guaranteed compensation and $300,000 if performance metrics are met with a sell-on percentage 93 MF Traded for $2 million in general allocation money over two years with a sell-on percentage 33 DF Loaned until end of the 2026 season in exchange for 2027 MLS SuperDraft first-round pick with sell-on clause 36 FW Loaned until end of the 2026 season 95 FW Loaned until June 2027 with right to recall in January 2027
Draft picks
Draft picks were not automatically signed to the team roster. Only those who are signed to a contract were listed as transfers in. Only trades involving draft picks and executed after the start of the 2026 MLS SuperDraft are listed in the notes.
+ 2026 MLS SuperDraft picks for Seattle Sounders FC Player Nationality Previous team Notes 2nd 51 MF 3rd 81 GK
Other transactions
On January 16, 2026, Seattle Sounders FC sold two international roster slots to the New York Red Bulls for $350,000 in 2026 general allocation money and $50,000 in 2027 general allocation money. On January 16, 2026, Seattle Sounders FC sold two international roster slots to Charlotte FC for $300,000 in 2026 general allocation money and $100,000 in 2027 general allocation money.
Player awards
MLS All-Star Game Player Position Jackson Ragen 1st Defender
MLS Team of the Matchday