Overview
- MLS confirmed it has retained an executive search firm for succession planning, and ESPN and Sportico report the firm is Korn Ferry.
- Commissioner Don Garber’s contract runs through the end of 2027, which under the new fall‑spring calendar would place a transition in the middle of the 2027–28 season.
- Garber has not decided whether to seek a new deal, according to reporting cited by ESPN.
- An owners’ succession committee is overseeing the effort, with The Miles Group advising and Korn Ferry focused on sourcing and evaluating candidates.
- The committee is co‑chaired by LAFC’s Bennett Rosenthal and Columbus owner Jimmy Haslam, as the league navigates the 2026 World Cup, a revised Apple media‑rights timeline to 2029, and senior office turnover including Gary Stevenson’s planned departure and earlier changes involving Mark Abbott, Radhika Duggal, Chris McGowan and Charles Altchek.