The United States’ best soccer league is getting ready for its grand conclusion as the 2025 MLS Cup playoffs officially begin.
The league’s top players will compete for this year’s championship in the 2025 playoffs, which begin with the Wild Card round and go through the conference finals and MLS Cup.
After having a difficult 2025 regular season, the LA Galaxy, the winners from the previous season, will not be defending their title. Only a victory on the last day of the regular season prevented them from being the first team in MLS history to win the championship and then lose in their conference the following year.
While the Vancouver Whitecaps, the Western Conference champions, and the Philadelphia Union, the winners of the Supporters’ Shield, will offer fierce competition, Lionel Messi and Inter Miami will be vying for their first-ever postseason championship.
Format for the MLS Cup playoffs
The 2025 MLS Cup playoff format will decide the league’s final champion for the season and will take place over about six weeks. The MLS Cup final took place on December 6 after things started on October 22.
A play-in game between the eighth and ninth-seeded teams from each conference for the final two spots in Round 1 was the first event to be discussed, the Wild Card round.
With those teams decided, Round 1 will start as a best-of-three, with a winner from each match. One match is hosted by each team, and if needed, the home ground of the higher seed will host a winner-take-all Game 3. The remaining Round 1 pairings are determined by regular-season standings, with the Wild Card winners taking on the regular-season conference champions (Inter Miami and LAFC).
The winner advances and the loser is eliminated in each subsequent round, which is single elimination. Two teams will advance from the conference semifinals and finals to the 2025 MLS Cup final, which will be hosted by the team with the best overall regular-season finish.
The 2025 MLS playoffs will feature which teams?
The teams that qualified for the 2025 MLS playoffs are shown below.
Conference in the East
Qualified: Philadelphia Union, FC Cincinnati, Inter Miami, Charlotte FC, New York City FC, Nashville SC, Columbus Crew, Chicago Fire, Orlando City.
Eliminated: NY Red Bulls, New England Revolution, Toronto FC, CF Montreal, Atlanta United, D.C. United.
Eastern Conference top-nine final standings 2025
| Seed | Team | Pts | W-D-L | GD |
| 1. | Philadelphia Union | 66 | 20-6-8 | +22 |
| 2. | FC Cincinnati | 65 | 20-5-9 | +12 |
| 3. | Inter Miami | 65 | 19-8-7 | +26 |
| 4. | Charlotte FC | 59 | 19-2-13 | +9 |
| 5. | NYCFC | 56 | 17-5-12 | +6 |
| 6. | Nashville SC | 54 | 16-6-12 | +13 |
| 7. | Columbus Crew | 54 | 14-12-8 | +4 |
| 8. | Chicago Fire | 53 | 15-8-11 | +8 |
| 9. | Orlando City SC | 53 | 14-11-9 | +12 |
Conference in the West
Qualified: San Diego FC, Vancouver Whitecaps, LAFC, Minnesota United, Seattle Sounders, Austin FC, FC Dallas, Portland Timbers, Real Salt Lake.
Eliminated: San Jose Earthquakes, Colorado Rapids, Houston Dynamo, St. Louis City FC, LA Galaxy, Sporting KC.
Western Conference top-nine final standings 2025
| Seed | Team | Pts | W-D-L | GD |
| 1. | San Diego FC | 63 | 19-6-9 | +23 |
| 2. | Vancouver Whitecaps | 63 | 18-9-7 | +28 |
| 3. | LAFC | 60 | 17-9-8 | +25 |
| 4. | Minnesota United | 58 | 16-10-8 | +17 |
| 5. | Seattle Sounders | 55 | 15-10-9 | +10 |
| 6. | Austin FC | 47 | 13-8-13 | -8 |
| 7. | FC Dallas | 44 | 11-11-12 | -3 |
| 8. | Portland Timbers | 44 | 11-11-12 | -7 |
| 9. | Real Salt Lake | 41 | 12-5-17 | -11 |
MLS Cup playoff schedule and bracket for 2025
The schedule and matchups announced by Major League Soccer will be reflected in the fixtures below.
Once the league confirms the dates and times, they will be updated.
Wild Card round
| Matchup | Date | Time (ET) | Match | Location | TV/Streaming |
| EWC | Wed, Oct. 22 | 8:30 p.m. | Chicago Fire (East #8) 3-1 Orlando City (East #9) | Soldier Field (Chicago, IL) | MLS Season Pass |
| WWC | Wed, Oct. 22 | 10:30 p.m. | Portland Timbers (West #8) 3-1 Real Salt Lake (West #9) | Providence Park (Portland, OR) | MLS Season Pass |
Round One
Game 1
| Matchup | Date | Time (ET) | Match | Location | TV/Streaming |
| E3 | Fri, Oct. 24 | 8 p.m. | Inter Miami (East #3) 3-1 Nashville SC (East #6) | Chase Stadium (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) | MLS Season Pass |
| E1 | Sun, Oct. 26 | 5:30 p.m. | Philadelphia Union (East #1) 2-2 Chicago Fire (EWC winner)
Philadelphia won 4-2 on pens | Subaru Park (Chester, PA) | MLS Season Pass |
| W2 | Sun, Oct. 26 | 7:30 p.m. | Vancouver Whitecaps (West #2) 3-0 FC Dallas (West #7) | BC Place (Vancouver, British Colombia) | MLS Season Pass |
| W1 | Sun, Oct. 26 | 9:30 p.m. | San Diego FC (West #1) vs. Portland Timbers (WWC winner) | Snapdragon Stadium (San Diego, CA) | MLS Season Pass |
| E2 | Mon, Oct. 27 | 6:45 p.m. | FC Cincinnati (East #2) vs. Columbus Crew (East #7) | TQL Stadium (Cincinnati, OH) | MLS Season Pass |
| W4 | Mon, Oct. 27 | 9 p.m. | Minnesota United (West #4) vs. Seattle Sounders (West #5) | Allianz Field (St. Paul, MN) | MLS Season Pass |
| E4 | Tue, Oct. 28 | 6:45 p.m. | Charlotte FC (East #4) vs. NYCFC (East #5) | Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, NC) | MLS Season Pass |
| W3 | Wed, Oct. 29 | 10:30 p.m. | LAFC (West #3) vs. Austin FC (West #6) | BMO Stadium (Los Angeles, CA) | MLS Season Pass |
Game 2
| Matchup | Date | Time (ET) | Match | Location | TV/Streaming |
| E1 | Sat, Nov. 1 | 6:30 p.m. | Chicago Fire vs. Philadelphia Union | Soldier Field (Chicago, IL) | MLS Season Pass |
| E3 | Sat, Nov. 1 | 7:30 p.m. | Nashville SC vs. Inter Miami | GEODIS Park (Nashville, TN) | MLS Season Pass |
| E4 | Sat, Nov. 1 | 7:30 p.m. | NYCFC vs. Charlotte FC | Yankee Stadium (New York City, NY) | MLS Season Pass |
| W2 | Sat, Nov. 1 | 9:30 p.m. | FC Dallas vs. Vancouver Whitecaps | Toyota Stadium (Frisco, TX) | MLS Season Pass |
| W1 | Sat, Nov. 1 | 10:30 p.m. | Portland Timbers vs. San Diego FC | Providence Park (Portland, OR) | MLS Season Pass |
| E2 | Sun, Nov. 2 | 6:30 p.m. | Columbus Crew vs. FC Cincinnati | Lower.com Field (Columbus, OH) | MLS Season Pass |
| W3 | Sun, Nov. 2 | 8:30 p.m. | Austin FC vs. LAFC | Q2 Stadium (Austin, TX) | MLS Season Pass |
| W4 | Mon, Nov. 3 | 10:30 p.m. | Seattle Sounders vs. Minnesota United | Lumen Field (Seattle, WA) | MLS Season Pass |
Game 3
If necessary
| Matchup | Date | Time (ET) | Match | Location | TV/Streaming |
| E4 | Thu, Nov. 6 | | Charlotte FC vs. NYCFC | Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, NC) | MLS Season Pass |
| W2 | Thu, Nov. 6 | | Vancouver Whitecaps vs. FC Dallas | BC Place (Vancouver, British Colombia) | MLS Season Pass |
| E1 | Fri, Nov. 7 | | Philadelphia Union vs. Winner, EWC | Subaru Park (Chester, PA) | MLS Season Pass |
| E2 | Fri, Nov. 7 | | FC Cincinnati vs. Columbus Crew | TQL Stadium (Cincinnati, OH) | MLS Season Pass |
| E3 | Fri, Nov. 7 | | Inter Miami vs. Nashville SC | Chase Stadium (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) | MLS Season Pass |
| W4 | Fri, Nov. 7 | | Minnesota United vs. Seattle Sounders | Allianz Stadium (St. Paul, MN) | MLS Season Pass |
| W3 | Fri, Nov. 7 | | LAFC vs. Austin FC | BMO Field (Los Angeles, CA) | MLS Season Pass |
| W1 | Sat, Nov. 8 | | San Diego FC vs. Winner, WWC | Snapdragon Stadium (San Diego, CA) | MLS Season Pass |
Conference Semifinals
| Matchup | Date | Time (ET) | Match | Location | TV/Streaming |
| ESF1 | Nov. 22-23 | | Winner, E1 vs. Winner, E4 | TBD (Higher seed host) | MLS Season Pass |
| ESF2 | Nov. 22-23 | | Winner, E2 vs. Winner, E3 | TBD (Higher seed host) | MLS Season Pass |
| WSF1 | Nov. 22-23 | | Winner, W1 vs. Winner, W4 | TBD (Higher seed host) | MLS Season Pass |
| WSF2 | Nov. 22-23 | | Winner, W2 vs. Winner, W3 | TBD (Higher seed host) | MLS Season Pass |
Conference Finals
| Matchup | Date | Time (ET) | Match | Location | TV/Streaming |
| EF1 | Nov. 29-30 | | Winner, ESF1 vs. Winner, ESF2 | TBD (Higher seed host) | MLS Season Pass |
| WF1 | Nov. 29-30 | | Winner, WSF1 vs. Winner, WSF2 | TBD (Higher seed host) | MLS Season Pass |
2025 MLS Cup final
| Date | Time (ET) | Match | Location | TV/Streaming |
| Sat, Dec. 6 | 2:30 p.m. | Eastern Conference Champion vs. Western Conference Champion | TBD (Better regular season finisher hosts) | MLS Season Pass |
When do the MLS playoffs begin in 2025?
The 2025 MLS Cup playoffs started with each conference’s wild card games.
This season, both of these games will take place on the same day, unlike last season when they were separated across two days.
The wild card matches took place on Wednesday, October 22, just four days after the regular season ends. This gave wild card players a short turnaround while their opponents in Round One take a week off.
When is the MLS Cup final in 2025?
In keeping with past seasons, the 2025 MLS Cup final will take place on Saturday, December 6.
The team that placed higher overall in the league table will host the game, not the team with the highest conference seed. For instance, if the Eastern Conference player ended the regular season with more points than their opponent, they would host the final between the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference and the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference.
2025 MLS Decision Day results
| Date | Time (ET) | Match | Location |
| Sat, Oct. 18 | 6 p.m. | NYCFC 1-2 Seattle Sounders | Yankee Stadium (New York City, NY) |
| Sat, Oct. 18 | 6 p.m. | New England Rev. 2-2 Chicago Fire | Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, MA) |
| Sat, Oct. 18 | 6 p.m. | Nashville SC 2-5 Inter Miami | GEODIS Park (Nashville, TN) |
| Sat, Oct. 18 | 6 p.m. | Columbus Crew 3-1 NY Red Bulls | Lower.com Field (Columbus, OH) |
| Sat, Oct. 18 | 6 p.m. | FC Cincinnati 3-0 CF Montreal | TQL Stadium (Cincinnati, OH) |
| Sat, Oct. 18 | 6 p.m. | Charlotte FC 2-0 Philadelphia Union | Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, NC) |
| Sat, Oct. 18 | 9 p.m. | Portland Timbers 0-4 San Diego FC | Providence Park (Portland, OR) |
| Sat, Oct. 18 | 9 p.m. | LA Galaxy 2-1 Minnesota United | Dignity Health Sports Park (Carson, CA) |
| Sat, Oct. 18 | 9 p.m. | Sporting KC 0-0 Houston Dynamo | Children’s Mercy Park (Kansas City, KS) |
| Sat, Oct. 18 | 9 p.m. | Vancouver Whitecaps 1-2 FC Dallas | BC Place (Vancouver, Canada) |
| Sat, Oct. 18 | 9 p.m. | St. Louis City 2-2 Real Salt Lake | Energizer Park (St. Louis, MO) |
| Sat, Oct. 18 | 9 p.m. | San Jose Earthquakes 2-1 Austin FC | PayPal Park (San Jose, CA) |
| Sat, Oct. 18 | 9 p.m. | Colorado Rapids 2-2 LAFC | Dick’s Sporting Goods Park (Commerce City, CO) |
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