MLS 2026: New England Revolution vs. Chicago Fire — Kickoff, How to Watch, and Team News

Updated Friday, October 16, 2026 (Foxborough time). New England Revolution host Chicago Fire FC on Saturday, October 17, at Gillette Stadium. The match is scheduled, and kickoff is still ahead; no result is available in this pre-match update.

The confirmed kickoff is 7:30 p.m. EDT (UTC−04:00) on Saturday, October 17 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. That is 11:30 p.m. UTC on October 17 and 6:30 p.m. CDT (UTC−05:00) in Chicago. New England's matchday guide names Gillette Stadium as the venue, while both clubs list the fixture and Apple TV as a viewing option.

Match details at a glance

Kickoff time and time-zone conversion

The Revolution's official guide lists the game for 7:30 p.m. ET. Foxborough is observing Eastern Daylight Time on October 17, so the precise local label is EDT, UTC−04:00. The 11:30 p.m. UTC time falls on the same calendar date. Chicago Fire FC's official recap lists kickoff at 6:30 p.m. CT; on that date Chicago observes Central Daylight Time, UTC−05:00.

The conversion matters because the United States changes clocks later in the fall. NIST lists the 2026 daylight-saving period as March 8 through November 1, so October 17 is still within daylight time. Do not apply the later Eastern Standard Time offset to this match. For the league's match listing, use the official MLS match center.

Venue and match-day arrival

The match is at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, New England's home venue. The club's official matchday guide schedules parking lots to open at 5:30 p.m. EDT and general gates at 6:30 p.m. EDT. Season Members have earlier access: the guide lists 4:30 p.m. EDT for the Season Member parking lot and 6:15 p.m. EDT for member gates.

Those opening times leave fans an hour between general gate opening and kickoff. The guide also lists Harry Potter Night activities and a celebration of Cabo Verdean culture, including a special cachupa concession item. Check the club guide again before traveling for entry instructions or any last-minute changes; parking and stadium access details are published by the venue and club, not inferred from the kickoff time.

Where to watch New England vs. Chicago

Apple TV is the confirmed streaming option. The Revolution's preview says every New England match is available there, and Chicago's October 14 match recap says this fixture will be broadcast globally on Apple TV. MLS's current How to Watch guide says the 2026 season is available with an Apple TV subscription, with matches included at no additional cost and no blackouts. Check the app in your region for the match listing and any local access requirements.

Radio is also listed by both clubs. New England lists 98.5 The Sports Hub HD2 in English, Rumba 97.7 FM in Spanish, and 1260 AM Nossa Radio USA in Portuguese. Chicago lists WLS-AM online in English, plus TUDN Chicago 106.7-HD2 and the Uforia by TREBEL app in Spanish. These are club-provided market options; availability can depend on your location and the station's stream.

Latest team news: injuries, suspensions, and lineups

The official reports reviewed for this update do not provide a complete match-day availability list for October 17, and neither club's starting XI had been published in the pre-match material checked. Treat the confirmed lineup as unknown until the clubs release it. Do not carry an absence from a previous match forward as a confirmed injury status for this one.

Chicago's October 14 recap said Sam Rogers, André Franco, Robin Lod, and Anzor Mekvabishvili were unavailable against Philadelphia with lower-body issues. That report establishes their status for that match only; it does not confirm whether any of them will be available in Foxborough. The same recap records defender Jack Elliott's dismissal after a second yellow card against Philadelphia. The public MLS disciplinary summary currently labels its notices “As of October 14” and is not a later match-day roster report, so the sources reviewed do not settle Elliott's Saturday availability. Check Chicago's official channels and the published lineup for confirmation.

New England's current preview and matchday guide confirm the fixture and recent results but do not publish a new injury or suspension list. No additional Revolution absence is treated as confirmed here. The safest pre-kickoff check is each club's official lineup announcement and the MLS match center, where the active squad and substitutions can be followed once posted.

Playoff context and recent form

This is a late-season Eastern Conference meeting with seeding and qualification still at stake. New England's October 16 preview lists the Revolution third in the conference with 49 points and says the club clinched a place in the Audi 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs with a 3–2 win at FC Cincinnati on October 14. The same preview lists Chicago fourth with 48 points and says the Fire were still pursuing a playoff berth. Those standings and playoff descriptions reflect the clubs' latest pre-match reports, not a final table for the season.

Chicago's most recent result was a 3–1 home loss to the Philadelphia Union on October 14. The Fire took the lead through Maren Haile-Selassie before Elliott's dismissal left them a player down; Philadelphia scored three times after the break. Chicago's recap says Haile-Selassie had scored in three consecutive matches. New England arrives after the midweek comeback win in Cincinnati, which secured its postseason place. Both sides played on Wednesday, so the schedule gives each a short turnaround before Saturday.

Recent head-to-head and what to watch

New England won the clubs' first meeting of the 2026 season, 2–1 at Soldier Field on September 13. Their previous meeting at Gillette Stadium ended 2–2 on October 18, 2025, according to the Revolution's matchday guide. Those results offer context, but they do not predict the outcome of this fixture.

The practical questions are whether New England can build on its playoff-clinching result at home and whether Chicago can respond after the Philadelphia loss while managing its available defensive options. Haile-Selassie's recent scoring run is a confirmed attacking storyline from Chicago's latest report. For New England, the recent win and the opportunity to improve its conference position are the main points highlighted by the club. Starting lineups, late fitness decisions, and any confirmed suspension affecting this match should be taken from official announcements rather than inferred from the previous game.

Is there a result yet?

No. This is a pre-match update checked on Friday, October 16, Foxborough time, before the scheduled Saturday kickoff. The confirmed details are the fixture, venue, time, viewing options, standings reported by the clubs, and the latest published team information described above. Follow the MLS match center after kickoff for the score and official match statistics.