MLS Cup 2025 format explained: How the U.S. soccer league’s playoffs work
Major League Soccer has been one of the fastest-growing leagues in recent decades. The arrival of top-tier players has helped elevate soccer in the United States, and that’s reflected in the league’s competitiveness today. This Friday, the playoffs will kick off, showcasing a format that differs from what’s used in most other countries.
Unlike in Europe, for example, MLS combines a regular season — where every team plays each other and accumulates points in the standings — with a postseason knockout phase. Philadelphia Union finished at the top of the standings in the regular season, and in most leagues, that would be enough to secure the title. However, in MLS, it only earns them the Supporters’ Shield trophy and a more favorable matchup to open the postseason.
Once the regular season ends, teams face off in direct elimination rounds until there’s one representative from each conference. Those two teams will then meet in the MLS Cup final on December 6. However, that’s not the only unique aspect of this system — even the knockout stages operate very differently from other elimination tournaments such as the UEFA Champions League.
How does the first round of the MLS playoffs work?
After the regular season concluded, the first step was determining the Wild Card winners, which turned out to be Chicago Fire in the East and Portland in the West. They now face a tough challenge against the top teams from the regular season in each conference: Philadelphia Union and San Diego FC, respectively.
In those matchups — as well as the rest of the first-round pairings — the format features either two or three games. The first match is played at the home of the higher-seeded team, and a few days later, the second leg is played at the other team’s stadium. Each game must have a winner. If the score is tied after 90 minutes, the match goes directly to penalty kicks. A shootout win counts the same as a win in regulation.
If one team wins both games, it advances directly to the conference semifinals, eliminating its opponent. But if each side wins one match, a decisive third game will be played — again at the home of the higher seed — to determine who moves on. That match will also go to penalties if it ends in a draw after regulation.
The MLS playoffs format from the semifinals onward
Once the opening round is complete, the format changes significantly. From the conference semifinals onward, each matchup is decided by a single game hosted by the higher-seeded team from the regular season.
The winner moves on to the next round. But if the match is tied after 90 minutes, it won’t go straight to penalties. Instead, two 15-minute extra-time periods will be played. If the score remains level after extra time, then a penalty shootout will determine the winner. The same rules apply to the conference finals and the MLS Cup final.
MLS playoffs kick off this Friday
Inter Miami and Nashville SC will have the honor of opening the 2025 MLS playoffs when they meet Friday night at Chase Stadium. With Lionel Messi in the spotlight, thousands of fans around the world will be tuning in to see what happens.
Here are the first-round matchups for the 2025 MLS playoffs:
Eastern Conference:
- Inter Miami vs. Nashville SC
- Cincinnati FC vs. Columbus Crew
- Philadelphia Union vs. Chicago Fire
- Charlotte FC vs. New York City FC
Western Conference:
- San Diego FC vs. Portland
- Minnesota United vs. Seattle Sounders
- Los Angeles FC vs. Austin FC
- Vancouver Whitecaps vs. FC Dallas