Las Vegas Lights FC to continue competing in the Western Conference as the season kicks off on Saturday, March 7
The USL Championship today announced its competition structure for the 2026 season.
Las Vegas Lights FC is set to begin the pursuit of a place in the 2026 USL Championship Playoffs alongside 24 other clubs when the regular season kicks off on Saturday, March 7. The 34-week regular season campaign will conclude on Saturday, October 24, with the postseason kicking off the following weekend.
2026 USL Championship Conference Alignment
The 2026 USL Championship regular season will see the league split into Eastern and Western Conferences. Las Vegas Lights FC will be one of 12 teams in the Western Conference, while expansion clubs Brooklyn FC and Sporting Jacksonville SC will each join the Eastern Conference for a total of 13 teams (full alignment below).
Western Conference
Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC
El Paso Locomotive FC
Las Vegas Lights FC
Lexington SC
Monterey Bay FC
New Mexico United
Oakland Roots SC
Orange County SC
Phoenix Rising FC
Sacramento Republic FC
San Antonio FC
FC Tulsa
Eastern Conference
Birmingham Legion FC
Brooklyn FC
Charleston Battery
Detroit City FC
Hartford Athletic
Indy Eleven
Loudoun United FC
Louisville City FC
Miami FC
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
Rhode Island FC
Sporting Club Jacksonville
Tampa Bay Rowdies
Schedule Format
The Lights will play 24 games against in-conference opposition, which features one home and one away match against each team (22 total matches) plus one extra match against two in-conference opponents (two total matches). To complete the 30-game schedule, Las Vegas will match up against six Eastern Conference opponents.
Meanwhile, in the 13-team Eastern Conference, each club will play 24 or 25 matches against in-conference opposition, and five or six games against Western Conference opposition to complete the 30-game schedule.
2026 USL Championship Playoffs
At the conclusion of the regular season, the top eight teams in each conference will qualify for the 2026 USL Championship Playoffs, which will kick off on the weekend of Oct. 31-Nov. 2, 2026.
The USL Championship Playoffs will remain a single-elimination and fixed bracket format. The postseason will conclude with the 2026 USL Championship Final on the CBS Television Network between Nov. 20 and Nov. 22, 2026, with more details to be announced in the coming weeks.
Broadcast Details
The 2026 USL Championship season will be the third in the league’s four-year broadcast agreement with CBS Sports, with games also set to air nationally on ESPN Networks, CBS Sports Network, CBS Sports Golazo Network, ESPN+ and TUDN.
Las Vegas Lights FC games will continue to air locally on the KVVU family of networks in 2026, which includes FOX5 and Silver State Sports & Entertainment Network (SSSEN).
A full broadcast schedule will be announced following the release of the 2026 USL Championship schedule.
