MLS is one of the fastest-growing professional soccer leagues in the world, and it continues to expand rapidly. In the past few years, MLS has added several new teams, making it a more diverse and inclusive league.
In this article, we will take a closer look at the six newest teams in MLS as of 2026: San Diego FC, St. Louis CITY SC, Charlotte FC, Austin FC, Inter Miami CF, and Nashville SC. We will provide some background information about each team, including key players, staff, and impact on their local communities.
San Diego FC (2025)
San Diego FC is the newest team in MLS and joined for the 2025 season.
The team’s ownership group includes Mohamed Mansour and the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation, making Sycuan the first Native American tribe to have an ownership stake in professional soccer in the United States. Former San Diego Padres star Manny Machado is also part of the investor group, while the club has a strong connection to the Right to Dream football network through the Mohamed Mansour connection.
San Diego FC’s home stadium is Snapdragon Stadium, which has a capacity of around 35,000 and is also home to the NWSL’s San Diego Wave FC. The stadium opened in 2022 and gave the new MLS team a ready-made home in a city that already had a strong soccer culture.
One of the key figures at the time San Diego FC launched was head coach Mikey Varas, who was appointed before the club’s first MLS season. Varas had previously worked with the U.S. national team setup, and his appointment fitted with the club’s focus on player development and long term planning.
San Diego FC made an immediate impact in their first season. The team finished first in the Western Conference, setting expansion-team records for points and wins, and went all the way to the Western Conference Final before losing to Vancouver Whitecaps FC.
For a brand new team, that is about as good a start as anyone could have expected. Some expansion clubs take years to find their feet, but San Diego looked competitive straight away and gave themselves a strong platform to build on.
St. Louis City SC (2023)
St. Louis CITY SC joined MLS for the 2023 season.
The team’s ownership group is led by Carolyn Kindle Betz, who is the president of the Enterprise Holdings Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Enterprise Holdings. Kindle Betz is also the granddaughter of Enterprise founder Jack Taylor, and is the first female owner of a major professional soccer team in the United States.
St. Louis CITY SC’s home stadium is Energizer Park, which opened as CITYPARK in the Downtown West neighborhood of St. Louis. The stadium has a capacity of just over 22,000 and quickly became one of the most recognisable new stadiums in MLS.
Off the field, St. Louis CITY SC has been actively involved in promoting soccer and sports in the St. Louis area. The team has partnered with several local organizations, including the St. Louis Blues and the St. Louis Cardinals, to promote youth soccer and improve access to sports for underprivileged children. St. Louis CITY SC has also worked closely with the St. Louis Public Schools to promote sports and physical education in schools.
One of the biggest challenges facing St. Louis CITY SC in its early years was building a strong fanbase. The team was competing with several other major sports teams in the St. Louis area, including the St. Louis Cardinals and the St. Louis Blues. To build its fanbase, St. Louis CITY SC actively engaged with fans through various community events and initiatives, including fan meet-and-greets, watch parties, and youth soccer clinics.
St. Louis CITY SC has also been active on social media, using platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok to connect with fans and promote the team. The team has also launched several initiatives to encourage fans to attend games, including discounted ticket packages and special events like “Opening Night” and “Hispanic Heritage Night.”
The team made quite an impact in their first ever MLS season, winning the Western Conference regular season and qualifying for the playoffs. They also managed to pack out their arena all season long, so their attempts at building a fan base can only be described as a resounding success.
Charlotte FC (2022)
Charlotte FC is one of the newest teams in MLS, having joined the league ready for their first season in 2022. The team is owned by David Tepper, who is also the owner of the NFL’s Carolina Panthers. Charlotte FC’s home stadium is Bank of America Stadium, which has a capacity of over 70,000 and is one of the largest stadiums in the league.
In its first year, Charlotte FC made a big impact on the league. The club launched with Miguel Ángel Ramírez as its first head coach, but he left early in the season and Christian Lattanzio took over after the false start. Despite taking the reigns after a bad start, Lattanzio kept them in playoff contention until the final week of the season. He got them there the season after.
Charlotte FC’s ownership group has also been actively involved in promoting soccer and sports in the Charlotte area. The team has partnered with several local organizations, including the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, to promote youth soccer and improve access to sports for underprivileged children. Charlotte FC has also worked closely with the Charlotte LGBT Chamber of Commerce to promote diversity and inclusion in sports.
In terms of building a fan base, the team was competing with several other major sports teams in the Charlotte area, including the Carolina Panthers, Charlotte Hornets, and Charlotte Checkers. This could be seen as a positive or a negative depending on how many fans would cross over, but Charlotte FC regularly attract strong crowds to their home games, so they must be doing something right. Through various community events and initiatives, including fan meet-and-greets, watch parties, and youth soccer clinics, they have managed to find plenty of support.
Their start in MLS wasn’t the strongest, finishing 9th in their first two seasons, but a middle of the table finish is respectable for a brand new team, and shows promise for the future.
Austin FC (2021)
Austin FC joined MLS in 2021. They were founded by investor-operator Anthony Precourt, who was also the former owner of the Columbus Crew. In 2018, Precourt announced that he would be relocating the Crew to Austin, a move that was met with some resistance from fans and local politicians in Columbus, and the two teams were eventually kept separate.
One of the key figures at Austin FC at the start was head coach Josh Wolff, who previously served as an assistant coach with the U.S. Men’s National Team and the Columbus Crew. Wolff has a wealth of experience both as a player and coach, having played for the U.S. Men’s National Team and in MLS with the Chicago Fire, Kansas City Wizards, and D.C. United.
Austin FC’s home stadium, Q2 Stadium, is located in North Austin and has a capacity of 20,500. Q2 Stadium features several unique design elements, including a grand entryway, a large video board, and a rooftop deck with views of downtown Austin.
Austin FC isn’t the only sports team in the area, with several others such as the Texas Longhorns, Austin Spurs, and Round Rock Express all fighting for attention from sports fans. There was clearly enough demand for more though, since the club made a big impact locally from the very beginning. The fact that soccer is so different from traditional US sports has probably had something to do with it.
They haven’t exactly set the MLS on fire since they joined, but a 2nd place finish in the Western Conference in their second season wasn’t bad, although their form has been erratic.
Inter Miami CF (2020)
Inter Miami CF is owned by a group of investors led by former soccer star David Beckham. The team played its first game in March 2020.
Other than Beckham, one of the biggest names associated with Inter Miami CF at the start of their journey is former Argentine international and Juventus ace, Gonzalo Higuain. Higuain joined the team in September 2020, and brought the team some much needed attention not to mention being their top scorer for two seasons.
Diego Alonso was the club’s first ever head coach, while Phil Neville is another big footballing name associated with the club, although his tenure was not a long one. Neville emphasized the importance of building a strong team culture and also worked to develop a cohesive playing style that emphasized possession and attacking play. It didn’t translate into silverware though, and he left in 2023.
Inconsistency on the field was a familiar story for Miami in their early years in MLS. The team finished its inaugural season with a record of 7-13-3 and missed the playoffs. In 2021, the team got off to a slow start and struggled to find consistency throughout the season, finishing with a record of 9-14-9. It was similar for a while after that too.
Despite these early challenges, Inter Miami CF continued to make strategic moves to improve the team. The arrival of possibly the best footballer to have ever played the game, Lionel Messi, in 2023 set the team alight, and the club’s profile changed almost overnight. Miami won the Leagues Cup in 2023, the Supporters’ Shield in 2024, and the MLS Cup in 2025.
Inter Miami CF’s home stadium is Nu Stadium, which has a capacity of 26,700 and opened in 2026. The stadium is part of the Miami Freedom Park development and finally gave Inter Miami a permanent home in Miami after the club’s early years in Fort Lauderdale.
Inter Miami CF has also worked closely with the Miami-Dade County Public Schools to promote sports and physical education in schools.
Nashville SC (2020)
Nashville SC played its first MLS game in March 2020, after transferring across from the United Soccer League, so it was already a fully formed club and had been since 2018. Nashville SC now plays at GEODIS Park, which opened in 2022 and has a capacity of just over 30,000.
In its first year in MLS, Nashville SC had a solid debut season, finishing seventh in the Eastern Conference with a record of 8-8-7. The team was led by long term head coach Gary Smith, who previously won an MLS Cup as the head coach of the Colorado Rapids in 2010. Smith emphasized the importance of building a strong team culture and worked to develop a hard-working, disciplined playing style.
Nashville SC has also made some strategic signings since joining MLS. The team signed Costa Rican defender Randall Leal from Deportivo Saprissa, as well as German attacking midfielder Hany Mukhtar from Brøndby. Both quickly became important players for Nashville SC, contributing both defensively and offensively.
Off the field, Nashville SC has partnered with several local organizations, including the Boys and Girls Club of Middle Tennessee and the Nashville Soccer United, to promote youth soccer and improve access to sports for underprivileged children. Nashville SC has also worked closely with the Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools to promote sports and physical education in schools.
Nashville’s average attendance has been strong since moving into GEODIS Park, and the club has now started to build some real history too. In 2025, Nashville SC won the U.S. Open Cup, which was the first major trophy in the club’s history.