The 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs (branded as the Audi 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs for sponsorship reasons) will be the post-season championship of Major League Soccer (MLS), the top soccer league in the United States and Canada. It will be the 31st edition of the MLS Cup Playoffs, following the conclusion of the 2026 season. The playoffs will begin on November 18 and will conclude with MLS Cup 2026 on December 18.
Format Since the 2023 edition, the MLS Cup playoffs had been contested by a field of 18 teams—the top nine teams from each conference. The top seven teams in each conference automatically qualified for round one, while the eighth and ninth-placed teams in each conference played a single wild card match to determine who drew the best-ranked team in their conference, with only a penalty shoot-out occurring if the game was tied.
The first round comprised a best-of-three format, with higher seeds playing against lower seeds. The round did not use an aggregate score, and tied matches proceeded directly to a penalty shoot-out to determine the winner. The remaining three rounds—the conference semifinals, conference finals, and MLS Cup—were single-elimination matches played with extra time and a penalty shoot-out if still tied.
The team with the better regular season record hosted in all rounds except the best-of-three series in round one, where the team with the lower regular season record hosted the second of three possible matches. All matches were broadcast globally on MLS Season Pass, a streaming service operated by Apple. Select matches were available on Fox Sports channels in the US.
Qualified teams The playoffs will be contested by 18 teams. The date listed indicates when each team qualified for the playoffs.
Eastern Conference Nashville SC (September 19)
Western Conference
Conference standings
Eastern Conference
Western Conference
Reference