The 2024 MLS regular season is officially wrapped up. Inter Miami are the winners this year, clinching the MLS Supporters’ Trophy after a crazy 3-2 victory over Columbus. Who scored? You guessed it: Lionel Messi. The “GOAT” took the ball on his chest and stabbed the ball home to score the first goal of the game before quickly following it up with a trademark freekick just before the 2nd half.
Despite a late comeback from Columbus, Messi’s magic brace ultimately ensured that Inter Miami were crowned regular season winners and will receive home-field advantage throughout the entire MLS playoffs — but who are the favorites to win it?
MLS Cup 2024: Favorite Teams to Win
Now that the regular season is over, it’s time for the playoffs. The playoffs will then conclude with the MLS Cup 2024 final, set to take place in December this year. When it comes to the MLS Cup winner odds, here’s what the sportsbooks are currently saying:
- Inter Miami (+155)
- LA Galaxy (+600)
- Columbus (+700)
- Los Angeles FC (+800)
- FC Cincinnati (+1,200)
Most of the sportsbooks have similar odds on who will lift the trophy. The odds by them aren’t fantastic but you can get better odds if you use one of the recommended BettingTools parlay sportsbooks, which will enable you to build an exciting parlay that contains a future bet on which team you think will win. For example, if you built a $10 parlay on Inter Miami (+155) to win the MLS Cup and Columbus (+450) to reach the final, this would win you $ 130.25 if both outcomes came true.
Unsurprisingly, Inter Miami are the red-hot favorites after storming to the regular season crown. With a roster containing the likes of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, who have all had trophy-stacked careers, you would expect Inter Miami to win this one — especially now that they also have the home advantage. Not to mention, Inter Miami have never won the MLS Cup before and will be more motivated than ever to bring home the gold.
LA Galaxy are also in with a good shot, having finished top of a highly competitive Western Conference this year. Despite having not won the MLS Cup since 2012, LA Galaxy have been firing the goals in this season, with Dejan Joveljic (14), Gabriel Pec (14), and Riqui Puig (13) all bagging 10+ goals. If they can carry their goal-scoring form into the playoffs and a potential MLS Cup final, there’s every chance that LA Galaxy could pull off a shock win, particularly if Inter Miami experience a major dip in form.
Columbus, LA FC, and FC Cincinnati remain the “underdogs” for the 2024 MLS Cup are unlikely to win the competition. However, MLS football isn’t immune to shock victories, so don’t be surprised if one of these teams manages to reach the final and potentially cause an upset. If you’re looking for a safe bet, though, it’s generally recommended you go with Inter Miami or the next favorites in LA Galaxy.
How Do The MLS Playoffs Work?
The MLS playoff format was changed back in 2023. Now, the new format looks like this:
➡️ Wild Card matches
➡️ Round One (Best-of-3 Series)
➡️ Conference Semifinals
➡️ Conference Finals
➡️ MLS Cup Final
The top 7 teams from the Eastern Conference and Western Conference automatically qualify for Round One of a ‘Best-of-3’ series, while the 8th and 9th placed teams from each conference have to win their Wild Card games to progress through. The MLS Cup final game will then see the last standing teams from the Eastern and Western Conferences go up against each other, with most sportsbooks expecting the final to be between Inter Miami and LA Galaxy.
Where is the MLS Cup Final 2024?
The 2024 MLS Cup final is set to take place Saturday, December 7, 2024 during the holiday season. Just like every time before, the final itself will be hosted by the highest remaining seed in the tournament. For instance, if Inter Miami make the final, it will be played at Chase Stadium.
In 2026, Inter Miami are also expected to move to a new stadium, the Miami Freedom Park, which will help take the club to an even higher level.
Summary
It’s time to get excited, MLS fans. The playoffs are soon to start and the next couple months will be filled with non-stop action as teams from both conferences battle it out to win the coveted MLS Cup.
Interestingly, only 2 out of the last 10 Supporters’ Shield winners successfully went on to win MLS Cup, which might scare Inter Miami supporters a little bit. However, the Messi-led Miami are still expected to win the cup, but they could face intense competition from the likes of LA Galaxy and Collumbus, who are also desperate to win.