CINCINNATI – Major League Soccer today unveiled its full 2021 regular season league schedule, a slate that sees each team play 34 matches between April and November.
In the club’s first year at West End Stadium, FC Cincinnati will host 17 matches, including contests against 2020 MLS Cup champions and #HellisReal rivals Columbus Crew SC; last season’s expansion sides Inter Miami CF and Nashville SC; as well as the winners of the 2020 Supporters’ Shield, the Philadelphia Union.
The Orange and Blue will be featured on U.S. and Canadian national television partners at least eight times in 2021, including three matchups already scheduled on U.S. partners ESPN and FOX. The club’s local broadcast plans will be unveiled in the near future.
Tickets to all games at West End Stadium are currently available exclusively through 2021 Season Ticket Memberships, which start at $325 and are available at fccincinnati.com/tickets or by calling 513-977-5425 (KICK).
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- for the 2021 FC Cincinnati Schedule
- CLICK HEREÂ for the complete 2021 MLS Regular Season Schedule
The Schedule Make-Up
In 2021, each club plays 17 home games and 17 away games, facing conference opponents in all but two matches. FCC will play all 13 Eastern Conference opponents multiple times – the Orange and Blue will play six conference opponents on three occasions and will play the remaining seven teams twice.
Eastern Conference opponents will comprise 32 games of FCC’s schedule as FC Cincinnati are scheduled to host Colorado and travel to Houston for the lone cross-conference matchups of the season.
FC Cincinnati will face Atlanta United FC, Inter Miami CF, CF Montréal, Nashville SC, Orlando City SC and Toronto FC three times this season. The Orange and Blue will host Atlanta, Miami and Orlando twice, and will play Montreal, Nashville and Toronto on the road two times.
FCC will play their remaining Eastern Conference foes twice, with one home and one away game each against Chicago Fire FC, Columbus Crew SC, D.C. United, New England Revolution, New York City FC, New York Red Bulls and Philadelphia Union.
At the end of the regular season, the top seven teams from each conference will qualify for the Audi 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs, set to begin on November 19. More information about postseason schedule will be announced at a later date.
Among the home schedule’s highlights, FC Cincinnati will host:
- The 2021 home opener and the West End Stadium inaugural match – previously announced – against Inter Miami CF at 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 16
- Eastern Conference finalists the New England Revolution on Saturday, May 29
- The only home match to be played against a Western Conference opponent, the Colorado Rapids, on Saturday, June 19
- The return of the #HellisReal Derby against defending MLS Cup Champions Columbus Crew SC on Wednesday, July 7
- The first meeting against the 2020 Supporters'Â Shield winners Philadelphia Union on Saturday, Aug. 14
- Regional rival Chicago Fire FC on Wednesday, Oct. 20
- FC Cincinnati’s first home MLS match against Nashville SC on Wednesday, Oct. 27
- MLS Decision Day 2021 against 2018 MLS Cup Champions Atlanta United FC on Sunday, Nov. 7
FC Cincinnati will open the 2021 season on Saturday, April 17, when the team travels to face former USL Championship rival Nashville SC for the first time in MLS at 8:30 p.m. at Nissan Stadium. In Weeks 2 and 3, FCC will travel to New York City to face NYCFC at Yankee Stadium at 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 24, followed by a trip to Orlando to play Orlando City SC at Exploria Stadium at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 1.
The Orange and Blue will then open their first season at West End Stadium on Saturday, May 16, when the team hosts Inter Miami CF at 4 p.m. FC Cincinnati will see a majority of their home matches take place in the second half of the season, as 11 of the final 18 regular season matches – including five of the final seven – to take place at the Orange and Blue’s new home.
FCC will play two three-game home stands in 2021, including Orlando (Aug. 7), Philadelphia (Aug. 14) and CF Montréal (Aug. 18), and then New York Red Bulls (Oct. 2), Orlando (Oct. 16) and Chicago (Oct. 20).
On Wednesday, July 7, the Orange and Blue will play the first of two matches against Columbus Crew SC to reignite the #HellisReal Derby when the two sides square off at West End Stadium. On Friday, Aug. 27, the two teams will play a second and final regular season meeting at Crew Stadium.
The 2021 MLS regular season will wrap up on Sunday, Nov. 7 – Decision Day – where FCC’s kickoff against Atlanta United FC will be set for 3:30 p.m., in alignment with all 13 games around the league that day.
For up-to-the-minute information about FC Cincinnati, visit the team’s official website at fccincinnati.com, or follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @FCCincinnati. Additionally, fans are encouraged to download the team’s official mobile app on the Apple App Store or Google Play for instant access to mobile tickets, team content and match notifications.
Information about seating options at the club’s state-of-the-art West End Stadium – which will open in Spring 2021 – is now available at westendstadium.com. For more information about 2021 Season Ticket Memberships, which are now on sale to the general public, visit westendstadium.com or the stadium’s social properties on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram at @WestEndStadium, or by calling the team’s sales and service staff at 513-977-5425.
