Pandemic Delays Charlotte, Sacramento, St. Louis MLS Debuts

The coronavirus pandemic has already had a significant impact on Major League Soccer, first forcing the 2020 season to shut down in March, and then pushing two of its 26 teams to withdraw from its restart tournament this month. Now, COVID-19 is delaying the league’s future expansion. Austin FC is still set to debut next year, but the Charlotte team, Sacramento Republic FC and the St. Louis team are all delaying by one year.

Charlotte will now join in 2022, with Sacramento and St. Louis playing their first games in 2023. The reasons for the delays include coronavirus-related restrictions that may slow down stadium construction, the need for minor redesigns of venues to make them more compatible with social distancing requirements, and to allow for the introduction of new technologies such as contactless ticketing and payment.