Major League Soccer 2026 Season Preview: MLS Insights and Betting Futures

Nate Hornung

Written by: Nate Hornung

Published: Thu Feb 19, 2026, 10:35 am ET

Read Time: 6 minutes

Hany Mukhtar has six goals and leads Nashville with five assists this year - MLS Picks

MLS

It seems like just a few weeks ago Lionel Messi and Inter Miami were hoisting the MLS Cup after winning the title match over the Vancouver Whitecaps. Well the offseason is already over with, and now we have a full slate of matches beginning on Saturday, February 21. Before we get into the game picks for this weekend, let's take a deeper dive into the entire league as a whole. We'll be looking at an overview of the entire MLS, along with insights, predictions and futures to bet on. Let's get right into our MLS Preview!

MLS Future Betting Odds

Inter Miami are the betting favorite to repeat as MLS Cup Champions - MLS Preview

Inter Miami are the betting favorite to repeat as MLS Cup Champions

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Odds to Win the MLS Cup

  • Inter Miami +400
  • LAFC +550
  • Vancouver Whitecaps +900
  • San Diego FC +1200
  • FC Cincinnati +1400
  • Philadelphia Union +1400
  • Columbus Crew +1600
  • LA Galaxy +1600
  • New York City FC +1600
  • Seattle Sounders +1800
  • Nashville SC +2500
  • Orlando City +2500
  • New York Red Bulls +2800
  • Charlotte FC +3300
  • Chicago Fire +3300
  • Minnesota United +3300
  • Houston Dynamo +4000
  • Real Salt Lake +4000

Obviously that is not a comprehensive list, just teams listed at 40-1 or shorter. As for the longer shots, several teams are listed at 50-1, including: Atlanta United, Austin FC, Colorado Rapids, FC Dallas, Portland Timbers, San Jose Earthquakes and Toronto FC. And of course, bringing up the rear are CF Montreal, DC United, New England Revolution, Sporting KC and St. Louis City SC, all priced at 66-1.

It makes sense that Inter Miami are the front runners, as they are the most star studded club in the entire league, but I wouldn't be so quick to bet on them to repeat as MLS Cup champions. Plenty can happen between now and December when we crown a champion, including a huge summer transfer window, where some players who excel during the first few months of the season could be shipped off to Europe and beyond if their talents prove to be above the rest of the MLS.

Speaking of players, let's get into who might lead the league in goals this year, and thus would win the MLS Golden Boot.

Denis Bouanga teams up with Heung-Min Son to make LAFC very dangerous on the attack - MLS Preview

Denis Bouanga teams up with Heung-Min Son to make LAFC very dangerous on the attack

Odds for MLS Top Goalscorer

  • Lionel Messi (MIA) +300
  • Denis Bouanga (LAFC) +900
  • Heung-Min Son (LAFC) +1000
  • Sam Surridge (NSH) +1200
  • Alonso Martinez (NYC) +1600
  • Tai Baribo (DC) +2000
  • Anders Dreyer (SD) +2200
  • Wessam Abou Ali (Crew) +2200
  • Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (NYRB) +2500
  • German Berterame (MIA) +2500
  • Timo Werner (SJ) +2500

Those are the top 11 names in this market, and as you can see, plenty of ex-European stars have made their way to the MLS for the last few years of their soccer career. This ups the level of competition we see in Major League Soccer, lifting up plenty of clubs in the process.

Last year, we saw tons of big names make their way to the MLS. Obviously we had Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba, and Sergio Busquets all on Inter Miami, but plenty of other stars came over as well. Heung-Min Son and Olivier Giroud joined LAFC, Marco Reus now plays for the LA Galaxy after several seasons with Dortmund, and Thomas Muller signed with the Vancouver Whitecaps, helping propel them into the MLS Cup Final.

This season, two huge names will make their way into the league, as Timo Werner joins the San Jose Earthquakes, and James Rodriguez signed with Minnesota United, but I don't think they will be the last before the season is up.

MLS Betting Futures

Sam Surridge has the potential to lead the MLS in goals scored this season - MLS Preview

Sam Surridge has the potential to lead the MLS in goals scored this season

In the spirit of honesty, I will not be booking any futures for the MLS, at least not this early on. More than likely, I will wait until after the summer transfer window to take anything regarding the postseason, because again, so much can change.

The MLS calendar does not function like the rest of the soccer world. They do their own thing, running their season from February through December, rather than the typical August to May season that pretty much every European league does. There's too much variance early on, and I have a feeling some big name players (Diego Luna) could be heading to Europe for the second half of the season. We saw this last year, as Patrick Agyemang led Charlotte FC in goals scored before heading to Derby County during the middle of the season.

MLS Longshot Futures

However, as far as some sprinkles go, I think the Seattle Sounders at 18-1 and Nashville SC at 25-1 could be good starting points. Both teams were rock solid in year's past, Music City has plenty of attacking fire power with Sam Surridge and Hany Mukhtar, while the Sounders are simply a team that has been in contention before and have plenty of veteran experience. Ultimately, Inter Miami or LAFC will likely lift the MLS Cup with all of their ex-European studs, but those two teams would be worth some pizza money in my eyes.

As far as the Golden Boot, Surridge at 12-1 will be on my card, as he finished just five goals behind Messi last season. And even Timo Werner at 25-1 will be sprinkled on, as the Earthquakes were one of the highest scoring offenses in the league last year, adding this German striker will certainly make them much more dangerous.

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Nate Hornung
Nate Hornung

Nate has been a recreational sports bettor for about 5 years. In that time, he has grown to love the pursuit of winners and sticking it to The Man. Nate loves data and uses his understanding of numbers to help him be a more profitable sports gambler, however he will be the first to tell you this game is about more than just stats.

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