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The 2025 MLS Cup playoffs are just around the corner, with the final day of the regular season — known as Deadline Day — set to finalize the bracket.
Starting with the Wild Card round and continuing through the conference finals and MLS Cup, the 2025 playoffs will bring 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. A loss on the final day could make the Galaxy 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.
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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 get underway over October 22 and culminate in the MLS Cup final on December 6.
First up is the Wild Card round, which will feature the eighth- and ninth-seeded teams from each conference facing off in a play-in game for the final two spots in Round 1.
Once 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.
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Which teams are in the 2025 MLS playoffs?
This section will be updated once the seeds are locked in following the final day of the 2025 regular season.
The few teams already listed below have been confirmed in certain positions prior to Deadline Day due to certain point gaps in the table.
Eastern Conference
| 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 |
Eliminated: NY Red Bulls, New England Revolution, Toronto FC, CF Montreal, Atlanta United, D.C. United.
Western Conference
| Seed | Team | Pts | W-D-L | GD |
| 1. | ||||
| 2. | ||||
| 3. | ||||
| 4. | ||||
| 5. | Seattle Sounders | |||
| 6. | ||||
| 7. | ||||
| 8. | ||||
| 9. |
Eliminated: Houston Dynamo, St. Louis FC, Sporting KC, LA Galaxy
Deadline Day fixtures, 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 vs. San Diego FC | Providence Park (Portland, OR) |
| Sat, Oct. 18 | 9 p.m. | LA Galaxy vs. Minnesota United | Dignity Health Sports Park (Carson, CA) |
| Sat, Oct. 18 | 9 p.m. | Sporting KC vs. Houston Dynamo | Children’s Mercy Park (Kansas City, KS) |
| Sat, Oct. 18 | 9 p.m. | Vancouver Whitecaps vs. FC Dallas | BC Place (Vancouver, Canada) |
| Sat, Oct. 18 | 9 p.m. | St. Louis City vs. Real Salt Lake | Energizer Park (St. Louis, MO) |
| Sat, Oct. 18 | 9 p.m. | San Jose Earthquakes vs. Austin FC | PayPal Park (San Jose, CA) |
| Sat, Oct. 18 | 9 p.m. | Colorado Rapids vs. LAFC | Dick’s Sporting Goods Park (Commerce City, CO) |
Deadline Day scenarios
Below are the potential outcomes for a few of the major races in the 2025 MLS Cup playoff chase.
Supporters’ Shield:
Prior to Deadline Day, the Philadelphia Union had already mathematically confirmed the best record in the regular season. They sat three points above second-place Vancouver coming into the final fixture, and they held the tiebreaker with two more victories on the year.
By proxy, this also means had have confirmed the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference entering play.
A 2-0 defeat to Charlotte FC on the road to conclude the season meant they finished just one point above FC Cincinnati in the Eastern Conference standings.
Western Conference champion
The only way the Vancouver Whitecaps can fail to win the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference is if they lose to FC Dallas and San Diego FC defeats the Portland Timbers. This would tie San Diego FC with Vancouver in points while giving them one more win, allowing them to claim the tiebreaker.
Any other combination of results between the two teams leaves Vancouver as the conference champions.
Wild Card — Eastern Conference
The cut line in the Eastern Conference had already been established coming into Deadline Day, and all teams 10th or below have already mathematically been eliminated. Thus, all nine playoff participants have already been confirmed, leaving teams to simply fight for playoff seeding.
The Chicago Fire, who sat in eighth entering the final day, one point above the Columbus Crew, had to better the result of either Orlando City or Nashville SC to pull out of a wild card place, but were unable to do so thanks to a draw with eliminated New England. The Columbus Crew, meanwhile, had to better the result of two of the three in front of them to do so, and thanks to a 3-1 win over the New York Red Bulls at home, they did so, successfully.
With Orlando City beaten by Toronto FC on the road, they dropped to the ninth seed, forced to navigate a road wild card game, while Columbus secured a bye to Round One.
Wild Card — Western Conference
The Western Conference playoff race is far more wide open than the East, with 11 teams still mathematically in the mix for nine places.
Colorado and San Jose both sit outside the cut line going into Deadline Day, with Colorado level on points with ninth-placed Real Salt Lake while the Earthquakes sit two points further back. Here are the way both teams can jump into a playoff spot:
Colorado Rapids make the 2025 MLS playoffs if:
- Colorado Rapids defeat LAFC, AND Real Salt Lake draw or lose vs. St. Louis City, OR…
- Colorado Rapids defeat LAFC, AND FC Dallas lose vs. Vancouver, OR…
- Colorado Rapids draw vs. LAFC, AND Real Salt Lake lose vs. St. Louis City, OR…
San Jose Earthquakes make the 2025 MLS playoffs if:
- San Jose Earthquakes defeat Austin FC, AND Colorado Rapids lose vs. LAFC, AND Real Salt Lake lose vs. St. Louis City, OR…
- San Jose Earthquakes defeat Austin FC, AND FC Dallas lose vs. Vancouver, AND Real Salt Lake lose vs. St. Louis City, OR…
- San Jose Earthquakes defeat Austin FC, AND FC Dallas lose vs. Vancouver, AND Colorado Rapids draw vs. LAFC
2025 MLS Cup playoff bracket, fixtures
The fixtures below will be updated to reflect the matchups and schedule released by Major League Soccer at the conclusion of the regular season.
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 | Chicago Fire (East #8) vs. Orlando City (East #9) | Soldier Field (Chicago, IL) | MLS Season Pass | |
| WWC | Wed, Oct. 22 | Western Conference #8 vs. Western Conference #9 | TBD (No. 8 seed host) | MLS Season Pass |
Round One
Game 1
| Matchup | Date | Time (ET) | Match | Location | TV/Streaming |
| E1 | Oct. 24-28 | Philadelphia Union (East #1) vs. Winner, EWC | Subaru Park (Chester, PA) | MLS Season Pass | |
| E2 | Oct. 24-28 | FC Cincinnati (East #2) vs. Columbus Crew (East #7) | TQL Stadium (Cincinnati, OH) | MLS Season Pass | |
| E3 | Oct. 24-28 | Inter Miami (East #3) vs. Nashville SC (East #6) | Chase Stadium (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) | MLS Season Pass | |
| E4 | Oct. 24-28 | Charlotte FC (East #4) vs. NYCFC (East #5) | Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, NC) | MLS Season Pass | |
| W1 | Oct. 24-28 | West #1 vs. Winner, WWC | TBD (No. 1 seed host) | MLS Season Pass | |
| W2 | Oct. 24-28 | West #2 vs. West #7 | TBD (No. 2 seed host) | MLS Season Pass | |
| W3 | Oct. 24-28 | West #3 vs. West #6 | TBD (No. 3 seed host) | MLS Season Pass | |
| W4 | Oct. 24-28 | West #4 vs. Seattle Sounders (West #5) | TBD (No. 4 seed host) | MLS Season Pass |
Game 2
| Matchup | Date | Time (ET) | Match | Location | TV/Streaming |
| E1 | Oct. 31-Nov. 2 | Winner, EWC vs. Philadelphia Union | TBD (Winner, EWC host) | MLS Season Pass | |
| E2 | Oct. 31-Nov. 2 | Columbus Crew vs. FC Cincinnati | Lower.com Field (Columbus, OH) | MLS Season Pass | |
| E3 | Oct. 31-Nov. 2 | Nashville SC vs. Inter Miami | GEODIS Park (Nashville, TN) | MLS Season Pass | |
| E4 | Oct. 31-Nov. 2 | NYCFC vs. Charlotte FC | Yankee Stadium (New York City, NY) | MLS Season Pass | |
| W1 | Oct. 31-Nov. 2 | Winner, WWC vs. West #1 | TBD (Winner, WWC host) | MLS Season Pass | |
| W2 | Oct. 31-Nov. 2 | West #7 vs. West #2 | TBD (No. 2 seed host) | MLS Season Pass | |
| W3 | Oct. 31-Nov. 2 | West #6 vs. West #3 | TBD (No. 3 seed host) | MLS Season Pass | |
| W4 | Oct. 31-Nov. 2 | Seattle Sounders vs. West #4 | TBD (No. 4 seed host) | MLS Season Pass |
Game 3
If necessary
| Matchup | Date | Time (ET) | Match | Location | TV/Streaming |
| E1 | Nov. 7-9 | Philadelphia Union vs. Winner, EWC | Subaru Park (Chester, PA) | MLS Season Pass | |
| E2 | Nov. 7-9 | FC Cincinnati vs. Columbus Crew | TQL Stadium (Cincinnati, OH) | MLS Season Pass | |
| E3 | Nov. 7-9 | Inter Miami vs. Nashville SC | Chase Stadium (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) | MLS Season Pass | |
| E4 | Nov. 7-9 | Charlotte FC vs. NYCFC | Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, NC) | MLS Season Pass | |
| W1 | Nov. 7-9 | West #1 vs. Winner, WWC | TBD (No. 1 seed host) | MLS Season Pass | |
| W2 | Nov. 7-9 | West #2 vs. West #7 | TBD (No. 2 seed host) | MLS Season Pass | |
| W3 | Nov. 7-9 | West #3 vs. West #6 | TBD (No. 3 seed host) | MLS Season Pass | |
| W4 | Nov. 7-9 | West #4 vs. West #5 | TBD (No. 4 seed host) | 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 | 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 will begin with the wild card matches for each conference.
While last season these two games were spread across two days, this season they will both take place on the same day.
The wild card matches will be 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.
