Guide To Understanding The MLS Playoff Format

Kaci Schowalter 19 Jun 2025

What is the MLS Playoffs Format?

The MLS Playoffs format is a single-elimination tournament that determines the champion of Major League Soccer (MLS). The tournament features the top seven teams from each of the league's two conferences, the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference.

The playoffs begin with a single-elimination round of 16, followed by a quarterfinal round, a semifinal round, and the MLS Cup final.

The importance of the MLS Playoffs format is that it provides a path for teams to win the MLS championship. The tournament is also a major source of revenue for MLS, as it generates significant television revenue and ticket sales.

The MLS Playoffs format has been in place since the league's inception in 1996. The format has undergone several changes over the years, but the basic structure of the tournament has remained the same.

Key Aspects of the MLS Playoffs Format

The key aspects of the MLS Playoffs format include:

The number of teams that qualify for the playoffs
The format of the playoff rounds
The seeding of the teams in the playoffs
The home-field advantage in the playoffs

Number of Teams that Qualify for the Playoffs

The number of teams that qualify for the MLS Playoffs has varied over the years. In the early years of the league, only the top four teams from each conference qualified for the playoffs. However, the number of teams that qualify for the playoffs has gradually increased over time. In 2023, the top seven teams from each conference will qualify for the playoffs.

Format of the Playoff Rounds

The MLS Playoffs are a single-elimination tournament. This means that the loser of each match is eliminated from the tournament. The tournament begins with a single-elimination round of 16, followed by a quarterfinal round, a semifinal round, and the MLS Cup final.

Seeding of the Teams in the Playoffs

The teams that qualify for the MLS Playoffs are seeded based on their regular season records. The top team from each conference is seeded first, followed by the second-place team from each conference, and so on. The seeding of the teams determines the matchups in the playoff rounds.

Home-Field Advantage in the Playoffs

The team with the better regular season record has home-field advantage in each round of the playoffs. This means that the team with the better record will host the match at their home stadium.

MLS Playoffs Format

The MLS Playoffs format is a single-elimination tournament that determines the champion of Major League Soccer (MLS). The tournament features the top teams from each of the league's two conferences, the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference.

Number of Teams: The number of teams that qualify for the playoffs has varied over the years, but in 2023, the top seven teams from each conference will qualify.
Format: The playoffs are a single-elimination tournament, beginning with a round of 16, followed by quarterfinals, semifinals, and the MLS Cup final.
Seeding: Teams are seeded based on their regular season records, with the top team from each conference earning the No. 1 seed.
Home-Field Advantage: The team with the better regular season record has home-field advantage in each round of the playoffs.
Tiebreakers: If two or more teams finish the regular season with the same record, tiebreakers are used to determine seeding.
Extra Time and Penalty Kicks: If a playoff match is tied after regulation time, extra time and penalty kicks are used to determine the winner.
MLS Cup: The MLS Cup is the championship game of Major League Soccer. It is played between the winners of the Eastern and Western Conference playoffs.

The MLS Playoffs format is designed to create a competitive and exciting tournament that determines the best team in Major League Soccer. The format has been in place since the league's inception in 1996 and has undergone several changes over the years to improve the tournament's fairness and competitiveness.

Number of Teams

The number of teams that qualify for the MLS Playoffs has varied over the years, but in 2023, the top seven teams from each conference will qualify. This is a significant change from previous years, when only the top four teams from each conference qualified for the playoffs.

The change to a seven-team playoff format was made in order to increase the competitiveness of the playoffs and to give more teams a chance to compete for the MLS Cup. In previous years, the top four teams from each conference often cruised through the playoffs, while the lower-seeded teams were often eliminated early. The new format will make it more difficult for the top teams to win the MLS Cup, and it will give more teams a chance to make a run in the playoffs.

The change to a seven-team playoff format is a positive one. It will make the playoffs more competitive and exciting, and it will give more teams a chance to compete for the MLS Cup.

Format

The format of the MLS Playoffs is a single-elimination tournament, which means that the loser of each match is eliminated from the tournament. The tournament begins with a round of 16, followed by quarterfinals, semifinals, and the MLS Cup final. This format is used in many other soccer tournaments around the world, such as the FIFA World Cup and the UEFA Champions League.

The single-elimination format of the MLS Playoffs creates a high level of excitement and drama, as each match is a must-win for the teams involved. This format also ensures that the best team in the league will be crowned champion, as the teams that advance to the later rounds of the tournament will be the ones that are playing the best soccer.

The single-elimination format of the MLS Playoffs has been used since the league's inception in 1996. Over the years, the format has been tweaked slightly, but the basic structure of the tournament has remained the same. The current format of the playoffs was introduced in 2012 and has been used ever since.

The single-elimination format of the MLS Playoffs is a fair and exciting way to determine the champion of the league. This format gives every team a chance to win the championship, and it ensures that the best team in the league will be crowned champion.

Seeding

Seeding teams based on their regular season records is a crucial component of the MLS Playoffs format as it ensures that the teams that have performed the best throughout the regular season are rewarded with a more favorable position in the playoffs. The top teams in each conference earn the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds, which gives them a number of advantages in the playoffs, including:

A bye to the second round of the playoffs.
Home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
A more favorable schedule in the playoffs.

The importance of seeding was evident in the 2022 MLS Playoffs. The No. 1-seeded Philadelphia Union had a bye to the second round of the playoffs and enjoyed home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. They also had a more favorable schedule than the other teams in the playoffs, as they did not have to play any of the other top teams in the league until the MLS Cup final. The Union ultimately won the MLS Cup, and their success was in large part due to the advantages they earned as the No. 1 seed.

Seeding teams based on their regular season records is a fair and equitable way to determine the playoff format. It rewards the teams that have performed the best throughout the regular season and gives them a better chance of winning the championship.

Home-Field Advantage

Home-field advantage is a significant advantage in the MLS playoffs, as it gives the team with the better regular season record the opportunity to play in front of their home crowd and on a field that they are familiar with. This can be a major advantage, as it can give the home team a psychological edge and can also make it more difficult for the away team to adjust to the playing conditions.

Crowd support: The home crowd can provide a significant boost to the home team, as they can create a hostile environment for the away team and can help to motivate the home team to play better.
Familiarity with the field: The home team is more familiar with the playing conditions at their home stadium, which can give them an advantage in terms of tactics and strategy.
Travel: The away team has to travel to the home team's stadium, which can be a tiring and disruptive experience. This can give the home team a physical advantage, as the away team may not be as well-rested or as prepared for the match.
Momentum: The home team can build momentum in the playoffs by winning at home, which can make it difficult for the away team to come back and win the series.

Home-field advantage is a valuable asset in the MLS playoffs, and it can be a major factor in determining which team wins the championship.

Tiebreakers

Tiebreakers are an important part of the MLS playoffs format because they determine the seeding of teams that finish the regular season with the same record. Seeding is important because it determines which teams will have home-field advantage in the playoffs and which teams will have to travel. In a league as competitive as MLS, home-field advantage can be a significant advantage, so tiebreakers can play a major role in determining which teams advance to the later rounds of the playoffs.

There are a number of different tiebreakers that can be used to determine seeding, but the most common tiebreakers are:

Goal difference
Goals scored
Head-to-head record
Disciplinary points

Goal difference is the most commonly used tiebreaker. It is calculated by subtracting the number of goals a team has allowed from the number of goals it has scored. The team with the higher goal difference will be seeded higher.

Goals scored is another common tiebreaker. It is simply the total number of goals a team has scored during the regular season. The team with the higher number of goals scored will be seeded higher.

Head-to-head record is used to determine the seeding of teams that have played each other twice during the regular season. The team with the better head-to-head record will be seeded higher.

Disciplinary points are used to determine the seeding of teams that have the same goal difference, goals scored, and head-to-head record. The team with the fewer disciplinary points will be seeded higher.

Tiebreakers can play a major role in determining which teams advance to the later rounds of the MLS playoffs. In a league as competitive as MLS, every point counts, and tiebreakers can be the difference between making the playoffs and missing out.

Extra Time and Penalty Kicks

Extra time and penalty kicks are an important part of the MLS playoffs format because they provide a way to determine a winner in a match that is tied after regulation time. This is important because it ensures that there is a clear winner in each match and that the tournament can progress to the next round.

Extra time is played in two 15-minute periods. If the match is still tied after extra time, the match goes to a penalty shootout. In a penalty shootout, each team takes five penalty kicks. The team that scores the most penalty kicks wins the match.

Extra time and penalty kicks can be a dramatic and exciting way to determine the winner of a match. They can also be a cruel way to lose a match, as a team can come close to winning but ultimately lose in a penalty shootout.

However, extra time and penalty kicks are an important part of the MLS playoffs format because they ensure that there is a clear winner in each match and that the tournament can progress to the next round.

MLS Cup

The MLS Cup is the culmination of the MLS playoffs format. It is the championship game of Major League Soccer and is played between the winners of the Eastern and Western Conference playoffs. The MLS Cup is a single-elimination match, and the winner is crowned the MLS champion.

The MLS Cup is one of the most important matches in American soccer. It is a prestigious trophy and is highly coveted by MLS teams. Winning the MLS Cup is a major accomplishment and is a testament to a team's success over the course of the season.

The MLS Cup has been awarded since 1996, when MLS was founded. The first MLS Cup was won by D.C. United, and since then, 13 different teams have won the championship.

The MLS Cup is a major event on the American soccer calendar. It is a highly anticipated match and is watched by millions of fans around the world. The MLS Cup is a celebration of the best of American soccer and is a fitting end to the MLS season.

FAQs about MLS Playoffs Format

Question 1: How many teams qualify for the MLS Playoffs?

Answer: The number of teams that qualify for the MLS Playoffs has varied over the years, but in 2023, the top seven teams from each conference will qualify.

Question 2: What is the format of the MLS Playoffs?

Answer: The MLS Playoffs are a single-elimination tournament, beginning with a round of 16, followed by quarterfinals, semifinals, and the MLS Cup final.

Summary: The MLS Playoffs format is designed to create a competitive and exciting tournament that determines the best team in Major League Soccer. The format has been in place since the league's inception in 1996 and has undergone several changes over the years to improve the tournament's fairness and competitiveness.

Conclusion

The MLS Playoffs are a major event on the American soccer calendar. They are a highly anticipated tournament and are watched by millions of fans around the world. The MLS Playoffs are a celebration of the best of American soccer and are a fitting end to the MLS season.

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