FC Cincinnati Host Atlanta United FC in 2026 MLS Regular Season Opener
MLS FC Cincinnati

FC Cincinnati Host Atlanta United FC in 2026 MLS Regular Season Opener

Published on February 20, 2026 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
FC Cincinnati News Release


FC Cincinnati open the 2026 Major League Soccer season on Saturday, February 21 at Atlanta United FC. Kickoff from TQL Stadium for the opener is set for 4:45 p.m. ET and the match will air nationally on FOX and globally on Apple TV. The Official English Radio home of FC Cincinnati, iHeart Media ESPN 1530 and the official Spanish Radio home - La Mega 101.5 FM - will broadcast the match.

Saturday begins FC Cincinnati's 11th all-time season, the club's eighth in MLS. 2026 will mark the final February - December season in MLS history before the 2027 'transition' season runs from February to May ahead of the new 2027-28 season to align with the global calendar starting in July 2027.

For a third consecutive year, FC Cincinnati will balance two competitions in the early portion of the season. The Orange and Blue opened Concacaf Champions Cup Round One play on Wednesday in Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic with a 4-0 win over O&M FC to take a large aggregate advantage into Leg Two on Wednesday.

Limited tickets for the opener are available at FCCincinnati.com/Tickets or by calling 513-977-KICK.

HOW TO WATCH AND FOLLOW #CINvATL on SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 21 (4:45 p.m. ET)

Watch: FOX | Apple TV (English and Spanish)

English Local Radio: iHeart Media ESPN 1530

Spanish Local Radio: La Mega 101.5 FM

FC Cincinnati Social Media: X/Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

FC Cincinnati Official Mobile App: iOS | Android

FC CINCINNATI ALL-TIME AGAINST ATLANTA UNITED FC

Atlanta United leads the all-time series over Cincinnati, 6-4-6. FCC failed to defeat the 5-Stripes in two meetings last year, drawing in Cincinnati and losing in Atlanta.

FC CINCINNATI NOTES

FC Cincinnati In MLS Openers - After starting the season on the road in the first four MLS seasons, 2026 marks the fourth straight year FC Cincinnati open the MLS season at home.

FC Cincinnati are 2-3-2 all-time in MLS openers, but are 2-0-1 over the past three seasons. This season marks the first time FC Cincinnati and Atlanta United face each other to begin an MLS campaign.

Bundle Up! - Saturday marks the earliest calendar start to an MLS season in club history. Across all competitions, FC Cincinnati will play four matches in the month of February, the most in club history. In all competitions, FC Cincinnati are 6-1-2 all-time in February.

A Strong Start - FC Cincinnati broke out for a 4-0 win at O&M FC in the Champions Cup on Wednesday night in the Dominican Republic. Roman Celentano did not face a shot on goal as the Orange and Blue cruised to a dominant victory.

Four FC Cincinnati players debuted for the club Wednesday night (Tom Barlow, Andrei Chirila, Bryan Ramirez, Kyle Smith). Chirila, who earlier in the day on Wednesday was called up to the team from FCC 2 via short-term agreement, became the ninth all-time FC Cincinnati Academy graduate to make an appearance for the first team.

Tom Barlow became the ninth player in FC Cincinnati's MLS era (2019-present) to score in his debut for the club. Ayoub Jabbari, scoring his first two career goals for FCC, became the second player in the club's MLS era to score multiple goals in a match as a substitute (Yuya Kubo: June 15, 2024 at San Jose Earthquakes).

The Returners In Attack - Also scoring in the Wednesday win was Designated Player Kévin Denkey, who looks to follow up his 18-goal season in 2025. Him and Evander (22 goals in 2025) combined for 40 goals and 22 assists in all competitions in 2025 had their first full offseason together this year.

Short Rest Kings - Saturday marks a quick turnaround for Head Coach Pat Noonan's squad. Historically, FC Cincinnati are strong in matches in quick succession. Under Noonan, since 2022, FC Cincinnati are 19-9-10 in 38 matches playing a game just three days following another, across all competitions.

New Faces - FC Cincinnati signed six players in the offseason to first-team contracts, two of which (Ayoub Jabbari, Ademar Chávez) are familiar with the organization. Wednesday's goalscorer Jabbari joined the club permanently after spending the latter months of 2025 with the Orange and Blue on loan from Grenoble, and Chávez, 17, joined Cincinnati after previously being signed to an MLS NEXT Pro deal and having joined the FCC Academy in 2024.

All debuting Wednesday, Bryan Ramirez joined FC Cincinnati via transfer from LDU Quito in Ecuador, and veteran options Tom Barlow and Kyle Smith also bring 15 years of combined MLS experience. Additionally, 20-year-old Kristian Fletcher, formerly of D.C. United and English Premier League's Nottingham Forest, also was signed by Cincinnati this offseason and brings both MLS experience and European experience from multiple loan stints in England.

SCOUTING ATLANTA UNITED FC

2025 Record: 5-16-13 (28 points)

2025 Standings: 14th, Eastern Conference (Did Not Qualify For Playoffs)

Head Coach: Gerardo 'Tata' Martino (First Season, Second Stint With Club)

2025 Leading Scorer: 7 - Emmanuel Latte Lath

The 5-Stripes came into 2025 with sky-high expectations following their 2024 MLS Cup Playoff upset of Inter Miami and a busy offseason, highlighted by the MLS-record breaking acquisition of Emmanuel Latte Lath.

But last season failed to live up to expectations as Atlanta finished 29th out of 30 clubs in the Supporters' Shield standings and Ronny Deila lasted just one season.

In for the 2026 season comes Gerardo 'Tata' Martino, who returns for his second stint as head coach of the club. As the first head coach in club history, Martino led Atlanta to a historic expansion season in 2017 and an MLS Cup title the following season, the earliest an expansion team had won the championship since 1998. Under his watch over two seasons, Atlanta recorded the most points (124), most goals (140) and best goal differential (+56) in MLS and became just the second team in league history at the time to score 70-plus goals in back-to-back seasons. Martino was named MLS Coach of the Year in 2018.

Atlanta United return a lineup with star power but have some key additions and departures to the group as well. Alongside the previously-mentioned Latte Lath, also returning are fellow leading scorers for this squad in 2026 Miguel Almiron and Alexey Miranchuk, who had six goals each last season.

Notably gone from the roster is longtime Atlanta goalkeeper Brad Guzan, who retired at the end of 2025. Also gone is defender Brooks Lennon, who logged over 170 appearances for Atlanta in his time there.

New to the squad for this season is a combination of young talent and veteran experience. Argentine defender Elías Baez joined the club on a U22 initiative deal, and American midfielder Adrian Gill also joins the side after matriculating through the Barcelona youth system and playing in the lower levels of Spain.

Winger Fafa Picault also joins the attack for Atlanta this season and brings over 200 MLS matches to the team in his 10th MLS season. Picault comes over to Atlanta from Eastern Conference foe Inter Miami, where he scored four goals in their MLS Cup winning effort in 2025.

Stay up-to-date and connected with FC Cincinnati! Select your schedule of choice to receive the latest match details, events and other relevant messages directly to your digital calendar. For up-to-the-minute information about FC Cincinnati, visit the team's official website at fccincinnati.com, or follow the team on X/Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok at @FCCincinnati. Additionally, fans are encouraged to download the team's official mobile app on iOS or Android for instant access to mobile tickets, team content and match notifications.

Check out the FC Cincinnati Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Major League Soccer Stories from February 20, 2026


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central