MLS Cup playoffs

The MLS Cup playoffs is the annual postseason elimination tournament of Major League Soccer. The MLS Cup, the league's championship game, is the final match of the tournament. Under the current format adopted for the 2023 season, 18 teams qualify for the tournament based on regular-season point totals — the nine highest-placed teams from each the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference. Audi is the title sponsor of this tournament.

MLS Cup playoffs

Founded	1996
Region	United States Canada
Number of teams	18
Current champions	LA Galaxy (6th title)
Most successful team(s)	LA Galaxy (6 titles)
2024 MLS Cup playoffs

Awarding a championship through a postseason tournament differs from most other soccer leagues around the world, where the team with the most points at the end of the season is deemed champion. MLS awards the regular-season champions with the Supporters' Shield and both champions earn a berth in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, the continental tournament.^[1]

Playoff system

Since 2023, the top nine teams from each of the Eastern and Western Conference qualify for the playoffs, playing in separate brackets.^[2][3][4] The wild-card round, round one, conference semifinals, conference finals, and the MLS Cup are single-match eliminations hosted by the team with the better regular season record, while round one is a best-of-3 series with the higher seeds hosting the odd-numbered games with no re-seeding in any round. A penalty shoot-out is used if the teams are still tied in all games while extra time (divided into two 15-minute periods) is utilized from conference semifinals onwards.

The teams ranked 8th and 9th in each conference compete in the Wild-card round, with the winner advancing to face the best-ranked team in Round One while the other six teams play each other using the highest v. lowest matchups: 2 v 7, 3 v 6, and 4 v 5. The winners of the first-round series advance to the conference semifinals, then the conference finals, and finally the MLS Cup, a single match hosted by the finalist with the better regular-season record.^[2][3][4]

Previously, the top seven teams per conference qualified for the playoffs, with only the team with the best regular-season record in each conference earning a first-round bye to the conference semifinals.^[5][6] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the top ten teams from the Eastern and top eight teams from the Western conference qualified for the playoffs in the 2020 season, with single-elimination remaining intact. The top six Eastern teams earned byes to the first round while teams seeded 7–10 and competed in play-in games. The lowest-ranked team to advance from the play-in round advanced to play the conference's first-placed team while the highest-ranked remaining team from that round advanced to face the conference's runner-up. In the Western Conference, the top eight teams competed in their first round with no byes.^[7]

The conference semifinals and conference finals were formerly conducted in a home-and-away, aggregate-goal format. From 2014 to 2018, the away goals rule was used for these rounds.^[8][9] In both rounds, the higher-seeded team hosted the second leg. If the teams were tied after two games (180 minutes), the team that scored more goals on the road advanced. If there was still a tie after the away goals rule had been applied, the teams played 30 minutes of extra time (divided into two 15-minute periods), followed by a penalty shoot-out if necessary. The away goals rule did not apply to goals scored in these extra periods.

Qualification

Eighteen teams qualify for the playoffs: the top nine teams from the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference that had earned the best points per game record during the 34-game regular season. The top seven teams in each conference get a first-round bye, advancing to the conference quarterfinals.^[2][3][4]

Tie-breaking procedures

If at least two teams finish the regular season with an equal number of points, the following criteria are used to break the tie, with coin tosses (two teams) or drawing of lots (at least three teams) used if all of those below fail.^[10]

• Most wins
• Higher goal differential
• Higher goals scored
• Fewer disciplinary points
• Higher away goal differential
• Higher away goals scored
• Higher home goal differential
• Higher home goals scored

Note:

• If two clubs remain tied after another club with the same number of points advances during any step, the tie breaker reverts to step 1 for the two remaining clubs.
• Head-to-head competition results have not been used in tie-breakers since 2012.^[11]

History

Seasons	League teams	Playoff teams	% of teams	Matches played
1996–1997	10	8	80%	19
1998–2001	12		66.7%
2002	10		80%	17
2003–2004	10			11
2005–2006	12		66.7%
2007	13		61.5%
2008	14		57.1%
2009	15		53.3%
2010	16		50%
2011	18	10	55.6%	13
2012–2014	19		52.6%	15
2015–2016	20	12	60%	17
2017	22		54.5%
2018	23		52.2%
2019	24	14	58.3%	13
2020	26	18[a]	69.2%	17
2021	27	14	51.9%	13
2022	28		50%
2023–2024	29	18	62.1%	25–33[b]
2025	30	18	60%

1. Temporarily expanded due to the shortened regular season.^[12]
2. Teams played a best-of-3 first round these seasons, leading to a variable number of matches played each year depending on whether the 3rd game was required for each matchup.^[13][14]

MLS playoff records

• Records include all knockout playoff matches, individual legs of aggregate-goal rounds, and MLS Cup appearances.

Goals

Note: Players in bold are still active for an MLS club.

Landon Donovan has the most goals in MLS playoff history.

Rank	Player	Years	Goals
1	Landon Donovan	2001–2014 2016	25
2	Carlos Ruiz	2002–2008 2011 2013 2016	16
3	Roy Lassiter	1996–1999 2001–2002	13
4	Jaime Moreno	1996–2010	12
5	Ante Razov	1996–2009	11
6	Brian McBride	1996–2003 2008–2010	10
	Preki	1996–2005
	Taylor Twellman	2002–2010
9	Jozy Altidore	2006–2008 2015–2023	9
	Will Bruin	2011–2023
	Robbie Keane	2011–2016
	Jordan Morris	2016–present
	Raúl Ruidíaz	2018–2024
	Bradley Wright-Phillips	2013–2021

Records

• Matches determined by shoot-out counted as win–loss, not draw

As of the conclusion of 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs

  Defunct team

MLS Cup playoff club records

Club	MLS Cups	MLS Cup apps	Win	Loss	Draw
Atlanta United FC	1	1	6	4	0
Austin FC	0	0	0	0	0
Chicago Fire FC	1	3	20	16	5
Chivas USA	0	0	1	4	3
Colorado Rapids	1	2	15	21	3
Columbus Crew	3	4	21	24	5
D.C. United	4	5	29	14	5
FC Cincinnati	0	0	1	1	0
FC Dallas	0	1	15	26	6
Houston Dynamo FC	2	4	17	10	6
Inter Miami CF	0	0	0	1	0
LA Galaxy	5	9	43	25	6
Los Angeles FC	1	1	1	2	0
Miami Fusion	0	0	0	0	0
Minnesota United FC	0	0	0	2	0
CF Montreal	0	0	6	4	0
Nashville SC	0	0	3	2	0
New England Revolution	0	5	20	20	7
New York City FC	1	1	6	7	0
New York Red Bulls	0	1	19	28	8
Orlando City SC	0	0	1	2	0
Philadelphia Union	0	1	4	7	0
Portland Timbers	1	3	12	8	4
Real Salt Lake	1	2	13	12	5
San Jose Earthquakes	2	2	13	11	1
Seattle Sounders FC	2	4	22	14	5
Sporting Kansas City	2	3	21	25	8
Tampa Bay Mutiny	0	0	1	4	0
Toronto FC	1	3	10	6	1
Vancouver Whitecaps FC	0	0	1	5	2

Appearances

As of October 20, 2024

  Defunct team

MLS playoff appearance records

Club	MLS playoff appearances	Active streak	Longest streak
Atlanta United FC	6	2	3
Austin FC	1	0	1
Charlotte FC	2	2	2
Chicago Fire FC	13	0	6
Chivas USA	4	0	4
Colorado Rapids	16	1	5
Columbus Crew	18	2	4
D.C. United	15	0	4
FC Cincinnati	3	3	3
FC Dallas	20	0	7
Houston Dynamo FC	10	2	4
Inter Miami CF	3	1	1
LA Galaxy	21	1	10
Los Angeles FC	6	3	3
Miami Fusion	3	0	2
Minnesota United FC	5	1	4
CF Montréal	6	1	2
Nashville SC	4	0	4
New England Revolution	17	0	8
New York City FC	8	1	7
New York Red Bulls	25	15	15
Orlando City SC	5	5	5
Philadelphia Union	8	0	6
Portland Timbers	8	1	5
Real Salt Lake	14	4	7
San Jose Earthquakes	11	0	5
Seattle Sounders FC	15	2	13
Sporting Kansas City	20	0	8
St. Louis City SC	1	0	1
Tampa Bay Mutiny	4	0	2
Toronto FC	5	0	3
Vancouver Whitecaps FC	7	2	2

• Miami Fusion and Tampa Bay Mutiny folded after the completion of the 2001 season.
• Chivas USA folded after the completion of the 2014 season.

MLS playoff shoot-outs

  Won

  Lost

• MLS began implementing a shoot-out to determine the winner of a playoff series in 2004.
• From 2014 to 2018 the away goals rule was used (but not in extra time).

As of November 10, 2024

Longest MLS Cup playoffs shoot-outs

Rank	Rounds	Home team	Score	Away team	Season / stage
1	11	Portland Timbers	2–2 (7–6)	Sporting Kansas City	2015 knockout round
2	10	Sporting Kansas City	1–1 (7–6)	Real Salt Lake	2013 MLS Cup
		New York Red Bulls	1–1 (7–8)	FC Cincinnati	2023 first round
4	9	FC Cincinnati	0–0 (5–6)	New York City FC	2024 round one
5	8	Portland Timbers	1–1 (7–8)	FC Dallas	2020 first round
6	7	Chicago Fire	0–0 (4–5)	Real Salt Lake	2009 conference finals
		Real Salt Lake	1–1 (5–4)	Los Angeles Galaxy	2009 MLS Cup †
		Orlando City SC	1–1 (6–5)	New York City FC	2020 first round
		New York Red Bulls	1–1 (5–4)	Columbus Crew	2024 round one
		Houston Dynamo FC	1–1 (6–7)	Seattle Sounders FC	2024 round one
5 games have been decided in 6 rounds 13 games have been decided in 5 rounds 10 games have been decided in 4 rounds 1 game has been decided in 3 rounds

† Game played at neutral location

See also

• MLS Cup
• Playoffs
• List of MLS club post-season droughts