California Legion to take home matches to five iconic cities in 2026

The California Legion will take home matches to five major cities during their inaugural season as a Major League Rugby franchise, finalising their 2026 schedule as the dawn of a new era awaits the entire competition.

MLR confirmed a major shake-up to the league in late July, with San Diego Legion rebranding following a merger with Rugby Football Club Los Angeles. It was revealed at the time that the Legion were set to play matches in San Diego, Los Angeles and Orange County.

Three months out from round one, the Legion have unveiled their home schedule, including the host cities for these five matches. MLR’s newest franchise is taking matches to Orange County, San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Sacramento.

The rebranded Legion will debut on Saturday, March 28, against Anthem Rugby Carolina in Orange County, before facing three-time defending MLR champions the New England Free Jacks the following weekend in San Diego.

California will face Seattle Seawolves in LA on Sunday, April 19, before a decent gap between home fixtures. The Legion’s next home match is almost one month later on May 16, hosting the Chicago Hounds in The Bay Arena.

The Legion’s final home match of the 2026 regular season is against Old Glory DC in Sacramento on Sunday, May 24. With this schedule, the Legion aims to introduce rugby union to new fans across the state.

“We have been working diligently over the last few months around USL and FIFA World Cup scheduling, and to be able to host matches in San Diego, Los Angeles, and Orange County was a huge win for our new club,” Legion CEO Adam Freier said in a statement.

We were fortunate that the only available weekends in these cities in 2026 aligned with the MLR schedule, and we are very grateful to the league and our vendors for their flexibility. We look forward to more fixtures beyond this season.

“We look forward to working with our SoCal cities, partners, and venues in the coming months to build out the 2027 schedule of events with clearer skies and greater availability.”

The Legion is one of the most globally recognised brands in MLR, with two-time Rugby World Cup winning All Black Ma’a Nonu famously wearing the team’s colours before the merger.

There will be six teams competing in MLR 2026. Anthem RC, Chicago Hounds, the New England Free Jacks, Old Glory DC, Seattle Seawolves and the Legion will compete throughout the regular season and playoffs, in a bid to become champions.

“The schedule is set up very well for us, with the first block in Southern California, giving us the ability to align with local rugby programs and schedules to partner with the community on gamedays and create a real Festival of Rugby atmosphere.” Freier added.

“Orange County is the ideal starting point for our season, located almost as a halfway point between Los Angeles and San Diego.

“Round two gives San Diego fans an epic matchup against last year’s MLR champions, the New England Free Jacks, followed by our match in Los Angeles against our West Coast rivals, the Seattle Seawolves.

“After our bye round (May 2–3), our focus shifts to Northern California, and we are thrilled with the outpouring of support from the rugby community across the Bay Area and Sacramento.

“San Francisco and Oakland has a rich and proud rugby history, and the daytime kick-off will allow us to build a true full-day event with plenty of activations.

“Sacramento demonstrated in 2025 that rugby is flourishing in the region, drawing a strong crowd to support the USA Eagles against Japan. We remember the support the Sacramento Express drew nearly a decade ago, and bringing professional rugby back to the area is a tremendous opportunity – one we know the community is ready to embrace.”