You can stop wrapping presents or pretending the MLS Cup didn't happen for a few moments: On Tuesday, the United Soccer League announced schedules for both the USL Championship and USL League One seasons — including the Cosmos inaugural schedule in USL1, the third division of US Soccer.
In total, the Cosmos will play 34 league games in 2026, including 19 home matches at the 8,000-seat historic Hinchcliffe Stadium in Paterson, NJ.
USL1 will not only see the debut of the Cosmos, but four other expansion sides in 2026, to bring the league total to 18 teams — that's the most in their history. The regular season is set to run between March 7 and October 24. The top eight teams on the table will qualify for the single-elimination league playoffs starting on October 31, and culminate with the championship match the weekend of November 13-15.
Let's take a look at a few takeaways from the schedule announcement and more.
Home opener and return
The return of the Cosmos to competitive soccer will be in a home match on Friday, March 14, 2026, at Hinchliffe Stadium. The game will be against Portland Hearts of Pine, a second-year team from Portland, ME.
Portland will serve as a perfect first opponent for the Cosmos. Last season, Hearts of Pine finished 7th Place in the 14-team USL League One table — pretty good for an expansion side that went on to win their first-ever playoff game before being eliminated in the semifinals via penalty kick shootout.
The home opener will also serve as the first promotional night for the Cosmos. The game is being dubbed "Legends Night," with more details to follow. Expect former New York Cosmos goalkeeper and current MLS Season Pass analyst Shep Messing to take part, with other alumni possibly stopping by.
More theme nights and promotions will be announced at a later date.
34 League games
The 34-game regular season will see locals clash when the Cosmos and Westchester SC play in Mount Vernon on July 22 and in Paterson on September 19. But first, the two teams will meet in the 2026 Prinx Tires USL Cup in May. (More on that below.)
A few other standout regular-season matches include an Independence Day game at Hinchcliffe, when the Cosmos will host Greenville Triumph SC. With kickoff times yet to be announced, it's unknown if you'll have the chance to experience a game night under fireworks like a soccer version of The Sandlot.
Not long after, the Cosmos will host fellow expansion side Corpus Christi FC on July 18, the day before the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final is played at nearby MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ.
The Cosmos will also face off against their fellow expansion sides with home and away series scheduled against Athletic Club Boise, Corpus Christi FC, Fort Wayne FC, and Sarasota Paradise.
The 2026 season will be the 21st in the Cosmos’ competitive outdoor history. The full Cosmos schedule for the upcoming season can be found here.
• March 7: USL League One regular season begins
• April 25: Prinx Tires USL Cup Group Stage begins
• July 11: Prinx Tires USL Cup Group Stage ends
• August 12: Prinx Tires USL Cup Quarterfinals
• September 9: Prinx Tires USL Cup Semifinals
• October 2-4: Prinx Tires USL Cup Final
• October 24: USL League One regular season ends
• October 30-November 1: USL League One Playoffs Quarterfinals
• November 6-8: USL League One Playoffs Semifinals
• November 13-15: USL League One Final
USL Cup clashes
The 2026 Prinx Tires USL Cup (RIP Jägermeister Cup) is back. After Hartford Athletic lifted their first trophy in team history by downing Sacramento Republic FC in the final last year, the third edition of the USL's league knockout cup will see every team from both the USL Championship and USL League One take part.
The tournament will kick off on Saturday, April 25, with teams divided into seven regional groups. Six groups will consist of six teams, and one group will include seven teams. Each club will be set to play four group-stage matches in the opening phase, which will conclude Saturday, July 11.
The seven group winners and one wild card will advance to the knockout stage, with the wild card awarded to the second-place team with the most points in group play, followed by most goals scored as the first tiebreaker.
The Quarterfinals will be held on Wednesday, August 13, followed by the Semifinals on Wednesday, September 9, and the Final on the weekend of October 2–4, 2026.
The first-ever USL Cup for the Cosmos will see them play in Group 5 alongside a Northeast contingent of teams from both the second- and third-division leagues of USL.
Brooklyn FC (USLC)
Cosmos (USL1)
Hartford Athletic (USLC)
Portland Hearts of Pine (USL1)
Rhode Island FC (USLC)
Westchester SC (USL1)
This means the USL Cup will feature the first meeting between the Cosmos and every local USL team, including Brooklyn FC, which play at the Cosmos' former home of Maimonides Park in Coney Island.
Despite playing in the same league, Cosmos will face Westchester for the first time when they meet in the USL Cup in May. Westchester will be looking to improve on a difficult inaugural season that ended with the club firing their entire coaching staff. A month after that clash, Cosmos will host the defending cup champs from Hartford.
The USL Cup is the only knockout competition for the Cosmos in 2026 — unless they also qualify for the league playoffs. The club are not participating in the 2026 US Open Cup due to the tournament reduced to accommodate the World Cup next summer.
• Cosmos vs Brooklyn FC
Sat, April 25, 12:00 pm ET at Hinchliffe Stadium (Paterson, NJ)
• Westchester SC vs Cosmos
Fri, May 15, 12:00 pm ET at The Stadium at Memorial Field (Mount Vernon, NY)
• Cosmos vs Hartford Athletic
Sat, June 6, 12:00 pm ET at Hinchliffe Stadium (Paterson, NJ)
• Portland Hearts of Pine vs Cosmos
Sat, July 11, 12:00 pm at Fitzpatrick Stadium (Portland, ME)
Michael Battista
MLS vs Cosmos...again
While this is not the Wild West days of the mid 2010s, when arguments on Big Soccer ran wild, the Cosmos will still clash against Major League Soccer. Just not directly.
Out of the team's 19 home games in 2026, four will conflict with either a New York City FC or Red Bull New York home match. A majority of those will happen later in the year, after the 2026 FIFA World Cup ends. One, on October 17, will see the Cosmos host ONE Knox SC while both NYCFC and RBNY host games. A week later, the Cosmos host Chattanooga Red Wolves SC while RBNY host defending MLS Cup champs Inter Miami CF and Lionel Messi.
Saturday, March 14
Cosmos vs Portland Hearts of Pine
New York City FC vs Colorado Rapids, 7:30 pm ET
Saturday, September 26
Cosmos vs Richmond Kickers
Red Bull New York vs St. Louis City SC, 7:30 pm ET
Saturday, October 17
Cosmos vs ONE Knox SC
New York City FC vs Los Angeles FC, 7:30 pm ET
Red Bull New York vs Toronto FC, 7:30 pm ET
Saturday, October 24
Cosmos vs Chattanooga Red Wolves SC
Red Bull New York vs Inter Miami CF , 4:30 PM -
For the most part, the Cosmos will only be clashing with either fellow USL sides or occasionally Gotham FC for home fan support. Even the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the subsequent six-week break for MLS from May 25 to July 16 could prove to be a huge positive. The team will play 11 games during this window, including six home matches at Hinchcliffe Stadium, providing the New York Area with some much-needed club football.
