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JUMP TO:
- 2025 MLS Cup playoff schedule, fixtures, results
- MLS Cup playoff format for 2025
- When do the 2025 MLS Cup playoffs start?
- When is the 2025 MLS Cup final?
- 2025 Deadline Day fixtures and playoff scenarios
The 2025 MLS Cup playoffs are now officially underway as the United States' top soccer league gears up for its big finale.
Starting with the Wild Card round and continuing through the conference finals and MLS Cup, the 2025 playoffs brings the league's stars together for a shot at this year's title.
Last season's champions, the LA Galaxy, will not be defending their crown after struggling through much of the 2025 regular season. Only a win on the final day of the regular season saw them avoid becoming the first team in MLS history to win the title and then finish last in their conference the following year.
Meanwhile, stars like Lionel Messi and Inter Miami will aim for their first-ever playoff title, while Supporters' Shield winners Philadelphia Union and Western Conference champions Vancouver Whitecaps will provide stiff competition.
MORE: Projecting the USMNT roster, squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and a predicted starting XI
MLS Cup playoff format
The 2025 MLS Cup playoff format will be played across the span of around six weeks and will determine the league's ultimate champion for the season. Things got underway over October 22 and culminate in the MLS Cup final on December 6.
First up is the Wild Card round, which featured the eighth- and ninth-seeded teams from each conference facing off in a play-in game for the final two spots in Round 1.
Now those teams are determined, the best-of-three Round 1 will begin, with each game producing a winner. Each team hosts one match, and if necessary, a winner-take-all Game 3 will be played at the higher seed’s home field. The Wild Card winners will face the regular-season conference champions (Inter Miami and LAFC), while the rest of the Round 1 matchups are set based on regular-season standings.
From there, each round is single elimination: the winner advances, and the loser is out. The conference semifinals and finals will narrow the field to two teams, who will meet in the 2025 MLS Cup final, hosted by the team with the higher overall regular-season finish.
MORE: How do MLS Cup Playoffs work? A full breakdown of the format, past winners, and more
Which teams are in the 2025 MLS playoffs?
Below is how the 2025 MLS playoffs picture looks, and which teams qualified.
Eastern Conference
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 |
Western Conference
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 |
2025 MLS Cup playoff bracket, schedule
The fixtures below will be updated to reflect the matchups and schedule released by Major League Soccer.
Dates and times will be updated once confirmed by the league.
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 | Soldier Field (Chicago, IL) | MLS Season Pass |
| WWC | Wed, Oct. 22 | 10:30 p.m. | Portland Timbers (West #8) 3-1 | 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) 2-1 Portland Timbers (WWC winner) | Snapdragon Stadium (San Diego, CA) | MLS Season Pass |
| E2 | Mon, Oct. 27 | 6:45 p.m. | FC Cincinnati (East #2) 1-0 Columbus Crew (East #7) | TQL Stadium (Cincinnati, OH) | MLS Season Pass |
| W4 | Mon, Oct. 27 | 9 p.m. | Minnesota United (West #4) 0-0 Seattle Sounders (West #5) Minnesota won 3-2 on pens | Allianz Field (St. Paul, MN) | MLS Season Pass |
| E4 | Tue, Oct. 28 | 6:45 p.m. | Charlotte FC (East #4) 0-1 NYCFC (East #5) | Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, NC) | MLS Season Pass |
| W3 | Wed, Oct. 29 | 10:30 p.m. | LAFC (West #3) 2-1 Austin FC (West #6) | BMO Stadium (Los Angeles, CA) | MLS Season Pass |
Game 2
| Matchup | Date | Time (ET) | Match | Location | TV/Streaming |
| E4 | Sat, Nov. 1 | 3:30 p.m. | NYCFC 0-0 Charlotte FC Charlotte FC wins 7-6 on pens | Yankee Stadium (New York City, NY) | MLS Season Pass |
| E1 | Sat, Nov. 1 | 6:30 p.m. | Chicago Fire 0-3 Philadelphia Union | Soldier Field (Chicago, IL) | MLS Season Pass |
| E3 | Sat, Nov. 1 | 7:30 p.m. | Nashville SC 2-1 Inter Miami | GEODIS Park (Nashville, TN) | MLS Season Pass |
| W2 | Sat, Nov. 1 | 9:30 p.m. | FC Dallas 1-1 Vancouver Whitecaps Vancouver won 4-2 on pens | Toyota Stadium (Frisco, TX) | MLS Season Pass |
| W1 | Sat, Nov. 1 | 10:30 p.m. | Portland Timbers 2-2 San Diego FC Portland won 3-2 on pens | Providence Park (Portland, OR) | MLS Season Pass |
| E2 | Sun, Nov. 2 | 6:30 p.m. | Columbus Crew 4-0 FC Cincinnati | Lower.com Field (Columbus, OH) | MLS Season Pass |
| W3 | Sun, Nov. 2 | 8:30 p.m. | Austin FC 1-4 LAFC | Q2 Stadium (Austin, TX) | MLS Season Pass |
| W4 | Mon, Nov. 3 | 10:30 p.m. | Seattle Sounders 4-2 Minnesota United | Lumen Field (Seattle, WA) | MLS Season Pass |
Game 3
| Matchup | Date | Time (ET) | Match | Location | TV/Streaming |
| E4 | Fri, Nov. 7 | 7 p.m. | Charlotte FC vs. NYCFC | Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, NC) | MLS Season Pass |
| W4 | Sat, Nov. 8 | 4 p.m. | Minnesota United vs. Seattle Sounders | Allianz Stadium (St. Paul, MN) | MLS Season Pass |
| E2 | Sat, Nov. 8 | 6 p.m. | FC Cincinnati vs. Columbus Crew | TQL Stadium (Cincinnati, OH) | MLS Season Pass |
| E3 | Sat, Nov. 8 | 8 p.m. | Inter Miami vs. Nashville SC | Chase Stadium (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) | MLS Season Pass |
| W1 | Sun, Nov. 9 | 9 p.m. | San Diego FC vs. Portland Timbers | Snapdragon Stadium (San Diego, CA) | MLS Season Pass |
Conference Semifinals
| Matchup | Date | Time (ET) | Match | Location | TV/Streaming |
| ESF1 | Nov. 22-23 | Philadelphia Union 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 | Vancouver Whitecaps vs. LAFC | 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 2025 MLS playoffs start?
The 2025 MLS Cup playoffs began with the wild card matches for each conference.
While last season these two games were spread across two days, this season they will both took place on the same day.
The wild card matches were held on Wednesday, October 22, which comes just four days after the regular season concludes, representing a quick turnaround for wild card participants while their upcoming Round One opponents get a week's worth of rest.
When is the 2025 MLS Cup final?
The 2025 MLS Cup final will be held on Saturday, December 6 which is in line with previous seasons.
The match will be hosted by whichever team finished higher in the overall league table, NOT by whoever had the higher seed in their conference. For example, if the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference meets the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference, but the Eastern Conference participant finished the regular season with more points than their opponent, they would host the final.
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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