HERRIMAN, Utah (Wednesday, January 21, 2025) - In conjunction with MLS NEXT Pro, Real Monarchs today unveiled its 2026 regular-season schedule, preparing to kick off the team’s 12th overall season and the fifth campaign since transitioning into MLS NEXT Pro in 2022.
As the Claret-and-Cobalt affiliate, Real Monarchs now seeks to build upon recent record-setting Club MLS NEXT Pro point totals achieved in both 2024 and 2025. Head Coach Mark Lowry’s side returns to action on Sunday, March 1, the earliest Matchweek 1 in league history, hosting North Texas SC. All 28 of the Monarchs’ matches will be made available via streaming, with 2026 broadcast information to be shared at a later date.
For the first time ever, MLS NEXT Pro will host a match at the MLS NEXT Cup, the culminating event of the 2025-26 MLS NEXT season. The Monarchs’ match on May 29 at its Zions Bank Stadium home in Herriman, hosting Sporting Kansas City II, will showcase a professional match in front of the nation's best youth teams. The League previously hosted a regular-season match at the Generation adidas Cup in the last two years.
Unlike its first-team counterpart, Real Monarchs will continue its 2026 campaign throughout the duration of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America. Competing in eight matches throughout the MLS World Cup Break, ranging from May 25 to July 19, the Monarchs stretch features four home games in Herriman, as well as a three-game road trip across the West Coast, facing off away at Tacoma Defiance (June 21), at Ventura County (June 27) and at LAFC 2 (July 4).
The Monarchs will host the league’s “Decision Day” for the fourth time in its five-year history (2023 at Portland the lone exception), as the entirety of the Western Conference plays simultaneously. Kickoff times will come at a later date as the Monarchs welcome rival Ventura Country FC to conclude its 2026 campaign.
2026 – MLS NEXT PRO REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE / KEY DATES (as of January 21, 2025)
(all times MT; HOME GAMES IN BOLD)
ALL SUBJECT TO CHANGE; visit www.rsl.com/monarchs/ or www.mlsnextpro.com for additional info / details)
DAY | DATE OPPONENT | TIME (MT); NOTE
SUN | 03/01/2026 North Texas SC | 3:30pm; Defeated then defending champions 4-2 in lone 2025 meeting
SUN | 03/08/2026 at Sporting KC II | 6:00pm; Lineker Rodrigues net goal in professional debut
SUN | 03/15/2026 Los Angeles Football Club 2 | 3:30pm; Searching for first home win over LAFC in MLSNP era
SUN | 03/22/2026 Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 | 1:00pm; Defeated WFC2 4-1 to close out 2025 bolstering club high 51 season point total
SUN | 04/12/2026 at Ventura County FC | 3:00pm; Hosted VCFC last April, Monarchs lone game in St. George market
SUN | 04/19/2026 Houston Dynamo 2 | 3:30pm; Marcos Zambro scored brace in second game with Monarchs
SUN | 05/03/2026 Portland Timbers 2 | 3:30pm; Six-game unbeaten stretch over Timbers 2 dating back to 2023 decision day
SUN | 05/10/2026 at Los Angeles Football Club 2 | 8:00pm; Clinched first ever MLSNP Playoff berth with 3-1 win
TUE | 05/12/2026 San Jose Earthquakes II | 3:30pm; Aiden Hezarkhani brace boosts Monarchs in 2-1 home win
WED | 05/20/2026 Colorado Rapids 2 | 6:30pm; Claimed 2 points despite 2 red cards in home 2025 meeting
SUN | 05/24/2026 at Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 | 5:00pm; Unbeaten against Vancouver throughout 2025 donning 2-0-1 record, capturing 7 points
FRI | 05/29/2026 Sporting KC II | 6:30pm; 5-1 win last time Real Monarchs hosted SKC
SUN | 06/07/2026 at San Jose Earthquakes II | TBA; 0-0 stalemate in Monarchs last visit to The Bay
SAT | 06/13/2026 Portland Timbers 2 | 3:30pm; Swept Portland 3-0-0 throughout 2025 campaign
SUN | 06/21/2026 at Tacoma Defiance | 8:00pm; Six-game unbeaten stretch over Tacoma dating back to June 2024 decision day
SAT | 06/27/2026 at Ventura County FC | 5:00pm; 3-3 Thriller last time out in Thousand Oaks
SAT | 07/04/2026 at Los Angeles Football Club 2 | 8:00pm; Final loss of 2025 Regular season prior to eight games unbeaten
SAT | 07/11/2026 Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 | 3:30pm; Seven different goal scorers in 8-4 aggregate victory throughout 2025
SUN | 07/19/2026 Tacoma Defiance | 3:30pm; Eighth and final match throughout MLS’s World Cup break
SUN | 07/26/2026 at Portland Timbers 2 | 2:00pm; Opened 2025 campaign behind homegrown Aiden Hezarkhani’s three goal contributions
SUN | 08/02/2026 at St. Louis CITY2 | 5:00pm; 0-6-0 vs CITY2 in MLSNP era
SAT | 08/08/2026 at Houston Dynamo 2 | 5:00pm; Jesus Barea 90+3’ PK leads to two points after shootout win in lone 2025 meeting
FRI | 08/14/2026 Minnesota United FC 2 | 3:30pm; 1-goal loss in last years MLSNP Playoffs
SAT | 08/22/2026 at Colorado Rapids 2 | 6:00pm; conceded 90+6’ PK is last visit to DICK’s Sporting Goods Park
SAT | 08/30/2026 Tacoma Defiance | 3:30pm; Claimed 6 points on home soil against the Defiance
FRI | 09/04/2026 at North Texas SC | 6:45pm; First visit to newly constructed Mansfield Stadium
SUN | 09/13/2026 Earthquakes II | 5:00pm; Third and final meeting with 2025 Pacific Division Champs
SAT | 09/20/2026 Ventura County FC | 3:00pm; Real Monarchs hosting decision day for 4th time in five years (2023)
Real Monarchs is a professional soccer Club based in Herriman, Utah, a subsidiary of Real Salt Lake, competing in MLS NEXT Pro. Formed in 2014 and USL Championship Champions in 2019, the Club has maintained a high level of excellence on and off the pitch throughout its twelve years of existence. The 2025 season proved historic, as the team secured its first MLS Next Pro playoff berth since the league’s inception. The Club’s home ground, Zions Bank Stadium, is among the finest in MLS Next Pro, seating 5,000 supporters for home Real Monarchs matches. With a commitment to fielding a competitive team and developing young players, Real Monarchs aims to continue to be a strong link in the developmental pyramid between the Real Salt Lake Academy and Real Salt Lake for years to come.
