MLS Playoffs

Western Conference

Eastern Conference

Updated February 21, 2026

Recent Changes

STL logo St. Louis City SC entered bracket (seed 1)
MIN logo Minnesota United FC left bracket
HOU logo Houston Dynamo (seed 1 → 2)
CLB logo Columbus Crew SC (seed 1 → 4)
COL logo Colorado Rapids (seed 1 → 2)
DC logo D.C. United (seed 1 → 4)
ATL logo Atlanta United FC (seed 1 → 2)
LAFC logo Los Angeles FC (seed 1 → 2)
DAL logo FC Dallas (seed 1 → 2)
ATX logo Austin FC (seed 1 → 2)
CHI logo Chicago Fire FC (seed 1 → 4)
MIA logo Inter Miami CF (seed 1 → 4)
LA logo LA Galaxy (seed 1 → 2)
CIN logo FC Cincinnati (seed 1 → 2)

MLS Playoff Format and Rules

The top 7 teams in both the Western and Eastern conference will reach the MLS playoffs. Each team is ranked based on their total points during the regular season.

Tiebreakers

  1. Most wins
  2. Goal differential
  3. Goal scored
  4. Fewer disciplinary points
  5. Away goal differential
  6. Away goals scored
  7. Home goal differential
  8. Home goals scored
  9. Coin toss (2 clubs) or drawing of lots (3 clubs)