MLS playoffs 2025: Everything you need to know — from how it works to who could win it all

The MLS playoffs will begin Wednesday night with the Chicago Fire hosting Orlando City and Real Salt Lake visiting the Portland Timbers.

And so begins a six-week soiree with an uneven format, an interrupted schedule, almost half the Western Conference participants with losing records, the guarantee of no repeat champion and Lionel Messi chasing his first MLS Cup trophy.

The eight-month regular season sent just 12 of 30 teams to the golf course and left the Philadelphia Union and expansion San Diego FC as top seeds in their respective conferences.

Boasting the Supporters’ Shield as the points leader for the second time in six seasons, Philadelphia (20-8-6) will enter as a soft favorite . Why soft? Not only did the Union claim the regular-season prize with the fewest points since 2016 (excluding the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign), only two of the previous 13 Supporters’ Shield winners have hoisted the playoff trophy (Toronto FC in 2017 and Los Angeles FC in 2022).

With that in mind, let’s take a look at what to expect:

How do the MLS playoffs work?

Without a rhythm, so pay close attention. Nine teams in each conference advanced. The bottom two in each division meet in wild-card matches Wednesday. A tie game after regulation goes straight to penalty kicks. The winners advance to play the corresponding top seeds.

The conference quarterfinals are best of three, starting Friday. The higher seed hosts the first and, if necessary, last match. Unlike the regular season, there are no draws. So if a game is tied after 90 minutes, penalty kicks will decide the winner. (There is no extra time.) A shootout win counts the same as a regular-time victory. Win two games and advance.

Once the last four teams in each conference are settled, take a nap. Because the playoffs will pause almost two weeks to avoid overlapping with the FIFA window, when national teams reengage in World Cup qualifiers, friendlies and other competitions.

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OK, now where were we? Ah, the conference semifinals. Best of three again, right? Wrong. They are single matches hosted by the higher seed, Nov. 22-23. The following weekend, the conference finals will follow that same format. MLS Cup on Dec. 6 is also a single match, hosted by the finalist with the most regular season points.

By the time commissioner Don Garber presents the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy to the winning captain, the season will have lasted 288 days, or 9.5 months, slightly longer than the playoff-free Premier League calendar.

How can I watch on my TV/laptop/phone?

As with the regular season, Apple TV+ is the primary platform for the playoffs, but that does not mean you need to subscribe to the streaming service’s MLS Season Pass. If you already have an Apple TV+ subscription, playoff games will be available for no additional charge, the league says.

In addition, Fox Sports will carry seven conference quarterfinal matches, including Inter Miami’s opener Friday against Nashville SC on FS1 and Fox Deportes, plus additional playoff games to be announced. Fox’s national broadcast network will carry the final.

So what’s Philly got going for it?

If defense and winning at home is the pathway to a championship, the Union is a legitimate threat. In his first season, former St. Louis boss Bradley Carnell oversaw a team that yielded a league-low 35 goals in 34 matches and registered 14 shutouts. At Subaru Park, the Union posted a 12-1-4 record, the lone loss coming to Nashville in March.

So if Philadelphia isn’t the clear favorite, who could end up in the final?

Look to the respective No. 3 seeds, Inter Miami and Los Angeles FC. Messi, the Argentine genius, leads the South Floridian side, which last year, as the Supporters’ Shield winner, was stung by No. 9 Atlanta in the Eastern quarterfinals. This season, the Barcelona buddies — Messi, Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba — have been unstoppable on numerous occasions, overshadowing the club’s defensive fragility. Miami led the league with 81 goals — Chicago was next with 68 — and was shut out just five times. But the club also conceded 55 goals, tied for the 11th most.

At 38, Messi showed no signs of slowing down, winning the Golden Boot with 29 goals — one fewer than the entire D.C. United team — and tying San Diego’s Anders Dreyer for most assists with 19.

LAFC is the smart pick in the Western Conference because of its devastating attacking duo: Denis Bouanga recorded 24 goals and nine assists, while Son Heung-Min contributed nine goals and three assists in 10 appearances since his celebrated summer arrival from Tottenham Hotspur. Hugo Lloris, a French World Cup champion in 2018, brings vast experience in goal.

How about a dark horse?

Beware of the Vancouver Whitecaps, who were on an upward trajectory fueled by Sebastian Berhalter and Brian White before adding superstar Thomas Müller in August. The 36-year-old German has seven goals and three assists in seven appearances. Pressure means nothing to this guy: He scored 57 goals for Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League and 45 for his national team. He will need to compensate for White, who has a team-high 16 goals but hasn’t played since Sept. 27 because of a hamstring injury.

What’s the tastiest conference quarterfinal?

Miami might be a championship contender, but it also has a tricky first hurdle in Nashville, the U.S. Open Cup champion whose tandem of Sam Surridge (24 goals) and Hany Mukhtar (16 goals, 12 assists) threatens to expose Inter’s rickety resistance. Fatigue could also become a factor: Across all competitions, Miami has played 52 games, 13 more than Nashville. Nashville, though, is not in great form, having gone 2-7-1 down the stretch, including a 5-2 home loss to Miami on Saturday. Meantime, the Cincinnati-Columbus pairing brings Ohio I-71 buzz.

Fair to say San Diego is the feel-good story?

Absolutely. Coach Mikey Varas guided the newcomers to an expansion-record 19 victories and 63 points, clinching first place on the last day. They also went 12-4-1 on the road to become the second team in league history to win a dozen times away. Conversely, top-seeded San Diego’s home-field playoff advantage might prove to be a disadvantage after going 7-5-5 at Snapdragon Stadium.

Dreyer (19 goals, 19 assists) is a sure-bet Best XI all-league selection, while Hirving “Chucky” Lozano brings big-game experience.

What happened to the defending champion Los Angeles Galaxy?

A miserable start to the season undermined coach Greg Vanney’s efforts to repeat, leaving the six-time champs next to last in the West with a 7-18-9 record. The other 2024 finalists, the New York Red Bulls, also failed to qualify for the playoffs, finishing 10th in the East. The failure of both teams speaks to the unpredictability of MLS, which has not seen a back-to-back champion since the Galaxy in 2011-12. Since then, nine different organizations have worn the crown.

Is that Gregg Berhalter leading the Chicago Fire into the playoffs?

Sure is. Last we heard from Berhalter in the national conversation, he was being sacked for the U.S. team’s 2024 Copa América failure. But Berhalter, who guided Columbus before moving to the national team in 2018, has done a nice job in his return to MLS, helping the Fire end a seven-year playoff absence. Chicago was much better on the road (9-6-2) than at home (6-5-6).

So who’s going to win the whole thing?

We’ll take Los Angeles FC, which had won six straight until closing the regular season with a loss and draw on the road. Son, the South Korean superstar, is the difference-maker.