A new season of Major League Soccer is upon us, introducing an expanded playoff field for the 2023 postseason. Check out here the new MLS playoff format.
Under the new system, the top seven teams from each conference will automatically qualify for the Round One Best-of-3 series after October 21, while the teams ranked seventh through ninth will compete in a single-elimination wild-card playoff game.
The winners of each wild-card game will earn a spot in the Round One Best-of-3 series.
The upcoming edition of the postseason sees up to 24 must-win games ahead of the 2023 MLS Cup, compared to just 12 in 2022.
New MLS playoff format
Qualification:
- Seeds 1-7 in each conference will automatically qualify for the Round One Best-of-3 series.
- Seeds 8-9 in each conference will qualify for the 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs Wild Card matches.
Wild Card Matches
- Two single-game elimination matches hosted by the higher seed.
- If the score of a Wild Card game is tied at the end of regulation, no extra time will be played, teams will participate in kicks from the penalty spot to determine the winner.
- The winner of each Wild Card match will advance to the Round One Best-of-3 series to face the conference No. 1 seed.
- Eastern Conference Wild Card Match: No. 8 vs. No. 9.
- Western Conference Wild Card Match: No. 8 vs. No. 9.
Round One Best-of-3 Series
- Every Round One game will have a winner; no ties, no aggregate score.
- The matches will be hosted in a home-away-home format:
Match 1: higher seed hosts
Match 2: lower seed hosts
Match 3: higher seed hosts - If a match is tied at the end of regulation, no extra time will be played, teams will participate in kicks from the penalty spot to determine the winner.
- The first team to win two matches will advance.
- Four teams from each conference will advance to the Conference Semifinals.
- Eastern Conference Round One Best-of-3 Series
No. 1 vs. No. 8 or 9
No. 2 vs. No. 7
No. 3 vs. No. 6
No. 4 vs. No. 5 - Western Conference Round One Best-of-3 Series
No. 1 vs. No. 8 or 9
No. 2 vs. No. 7
No. 3 vs. No. 6
No. 4 vs. No. 5
Conference Semifinals
- Single-game elimination matches, hosted by the higher seed.
- If the score of a Conference Semifinal game is tied at the end of regulation, two 15-minute extra time periods will be played in their entirety. If the score is still tied at the end of the two extra time periods, teams will participate in kicks from the penalty spot to determine the winner.
- Conference Semifinal winners will advance to the Conference Final.
- Eastern Conference Semifinals
Winner of No. 1 vs. No. 8/9 series vs. winner of No. 4 vs. No. 5 series
Winner of No. 3 vs. No. 6 series vs. winner of No. 2 vs. No. 7 series - Western Conference Semifinals
Winner of No. 1 vs. No. 8/9 series vs. winner of No. 4 vs. No. 5 series
Winner of No. 3 vs. No. 6 series vs. winner of No. 2 vs. No. 7 series
Conference Final
- Single-elimination match hosted by the higher seed.
- If the score of a Conference Final game is tied at the end of regulation, two 15-minute extra time periods will be played in their entirety. If the score is still tied at the end of the two extra time periods, teams will participate in kicks from the penalty spot to determine the winner.
- The winner of each Conference Final match will advance to MLS Cup.
Eastern Conference Final: highest advancing seed vs. lowest advancing seed
Western Conference Final: highest advancing seed vs. lowest advancing seed
MLS Cup
- A single match hosted by the higher seed.
- If the score of the game is tied at the end of regulation, two 15-minute extra time periods will be played in their entirety. If the score is still tied at the end of the two extra time periods, teams will participate in kicks from the penalty spot to determine the winner.
- MLS Cup presented by Audi: Eastern Conference Champion vs. Western Conference Champion
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