The 2023 MLS Playoffs format explained: rules, tiebreakers, bracket, Wildcard...

It has been more than eight months since MLS responded to Phil Neville’s complaints about the lack of information about the competition format by announcing the restructuring of the league, especially the Playoffs.

There will be 18 clubs that will qualify for the Playoffs this season, nine from each conference. That means that 62% of the clubs will qualify, the second highest percentage among US sports, as only the NBA has more (66%).

The new format

Building on the popular single-elimination format, the 2023 MLS postseason will see the addition of a pair of direct-elimination MLS Playoff Wildcard games prior to Round One, which now includes a Best-of-three series.

The top seven teams from each conference will automatically qualify for the Best-of-3 series from Round One, while the next two teams in each conference standings will qualify for a direct-elimination Audi MLS Cup playoff Wildcard.

With this new format, there will now be 24 games in the Playoffs before the MLS Cup champion is decided. There were 12 games played last year.

The post-season will begin with the two Wildcard games from 25-26 October and the Best-of-3 series from 28 October to 12 November. The Conference Semifinals and Finals will be played from 25 November to 3 December. Major League Soccer’s championship match, MLS Cup presented by Audi, will be played on 9 December.