The MLS Cup is the pinnacle of Major League Soccer – it’s the biggest domestic trophy a team can win in the US and Canada. Teams only stand a chance of winning it if their finals position on the regular season table earns them a playoff spot, and then they must progress through the playoffs to reach the final.
From a global view point, it’s a fairly unique element of North American soccer, because it is effectively an additional competition at the end of the regular season. Very few other leagues work in this way, and MLS is unquestionably the best known of those that do. But this is also what makes American soccer interesting to fans from over seas, and for American audiences it is not unconventional in the first place.
What with MLS having been classed as a developing league for much of its existence, the specific format of the MLS Cup playoffs has changed numerous times over the years. On this page, I will explain the format as it currently stands and will keep the information updated.
The last edit was 23/12/2025.
History of the MLS Cup
In the year 1996, history was made with the inaugural MLS Cup. Soccer was not a big sport in the US, so the playoffs were designed to mirror the Superbowl and bring some familiarity to a US audience.
The competitors of the very first final were none other than D.C. United and Los Angeles Galaxy who went head-to-head at Foxboro Stadium in Massachusetts. In a thrilling match that kept fans on edge, D.C. United emerged as champions with a final score of 3-2. Over time, changes were made to how teams qualified for the tournament and how it was structured. Initially, only four teams made it to playoffs, with two semi-finals followed by one final game. However, by 2001 this had expanded to ten teams with conference championships preceding a single national championship game.
In the years that followed there were further expansions, changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic, format alterations and more, but the end goal for all teams in Major League Soccer is to get their hands on the coveted MLS Cup.
Even that has changed over time though. There have been three different designs, and two official names for the trophy:
- Alan I. Rothenberg Trophy – 1996-2007 (2 designs)
- Philip F. Anschutz Trophy – 2008 – Now (1 design)
The trophy is presented at a highly choreographed ceremony directly after the final, and it is always quite a spectacle.
Throughout its history, MLS Cup Final has played host to some incredible and unbelievable moments, from the surreal to the iconic, none more so than in 2016 when Seattle Sounders FC defeated Toronto FC on penalties despite failing to register a single shot on target across 120 minutes. Three years earlier in 2013, Sporting Kansas City overcame Real Salt Lake in the longest penalty shootout in MLS Cup history, a ten-round ordeal played out in freezing conditions and memorably featuring a successful spot kick from goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen. Perhaps its most cinematic moment came in 2022, when Gareth Bale rose to score a 128th-minute equaliser for Los Angeles FC against the Philadelphia Union, a last-gasp header that forced penalties and paved the way for LAFC’s first MLS Cup.
The final is a game that always delivers moments of heroics, moments of crushing disappointment, and moments of unrivalled sporting entertainment.
Format of The MLS Cup (2025)
To qualify for participation in the MLS Cup playoffs, teams must finish among the top nine places in each conference. Teams finishing in 10th place and below do not progress to the playoffs and their season ends on the last day of the regular season.
For those that make it through, the playoffs begin roughly a week after their final regular season game, so it feels like an extension to the season.
The playoff format is then broken down as follows:
Wild Card Round
In each conference, the teams in 8th and 9th place go head to head to decide who progresses to Round 1. This is a single knockout match, so it is all or nothing.
The only benefit to being the higher placed team is the home advantage in the Wild Card game. So the 9th placed team has to travel to the 8th placed team’s stadium.
If the game is tied after 90 minutes it goes straight to a penalty shootout. No extra time.
Round One
This is a unique best of three series, with the seed as follows:
- 1st Place vs Wild Card winner
- 2nd Place vs 7th Place
- 3rd Place vs 6th Place
- 4th Place vs 5th Place
So in theory, the teams with the better regular season record get an easier ride because they are facing those who got through to the playoffs in the lower regular season table positions.
The higher placed team in the regular season also starts with the home advantage. This means that if the series goes to three games, they get the home advantage for the final game as well. Of course, if the first two games are won by the same team no third game is necessary. This gives an advantage to any team who manages it, because they will be fresh for the Conference Semi Finals whereas their opponents may have had to play an extra game to earn their spot.
Again, there is no extra time here. Games go straight to penalties if they are tied after 90 minutes.
Conference Semi Finals
We are now back to single knockout games, except extra time is included if the score is tied after 90 minutes, before then leading on to a penalty shootout if required.
The seed still works in the higher placed regular season team’s favour in terms of home advantage.
Conference Finals
This is the last game before the MLS Cup, and the winner gets a trophy for it. However, the Conference Final trophy is not really regarded as a major trophy.
Home advantage goes to the team with the best regular season record as always, and both extra time and penalties are played if needed t decide a winner.
MLS Cup Final
So far, the playoffs have basically been conference competitions. Teams have only been playing against other teams from the same conference.
The MLS Cup is when the best team from the Eastern Conference faces the best team from the Western Conference, with the winner being crowned MLS Cup Champions for the year. The best team in the entire league.
To decide which team gets the home advantage, the Supporters Shield standings are used – so the team with the best record gets to play the final at their home ground. If there is no winner after 90 minutes, extra time and then a penalty shootout is used to find a winner.
Significance Of Winning The Cup
For many players and coaches, winning an MLS cup represents the greatest achievement in their careers. For some, it could even lead to the sort of exposure that attracts big clubs from some of the best leagues in the world, resulting in huge transfers.
For the clubs, winning the trophy brings similarly welcome exposure, not just domestically but worldwide. MLS Cup winners can expect a growing fan base, higher ticket sales, more merchandise sales, etc. But there are other benefits to being crowned champions.
The winner of the MLS Cup gets:
- $300,000 in prize money
- A bye to Round of 16 of the CONCACAF Champions Cup
- Entry Into The Campeones Cup
Not to mention all of the improved commercial deals they can negotiate thanks to their new status as league winners, and becoming a more attractive prospect for transfers. There are lots of indirect benefits.
Ultimately though, it’s the right for a team to call themselves winners that matters. Winning trophies gives clubs a history, it gives them culture, and it gives them stories to remember and talk about for seasons to come.