Which MLS teams have qualified for the playoffs? Schedule, start date

As we approach the MLS regular season finale, the picture is starting to take shape at the top of both conferences. Inter Miami have long since secured their passage to the playoffs and now, with just three more matchdays remaining, another 12 teams have joined them.

After the star-studded Inter Miami, reigning Supporters’ Shield champions FC Cincinnati and Columbus Crew, the 2023 MLS Cup winners, were next to qualify in the East.

In the Western Conference the top seven have all booked their places and there are now four teams battling it out for the final two places. There are just three points separating fourth-placed Colorado Rapids and the Portland Timbers in 9th, meaning that there’s plenty to play for in terms of home advantage and the Wild Card places in the final weeks.

MLS Cup playoffs: Start date and schedule

Of the 18 playoffs places, only five are still up for grabs. But with home advantage for Round One offered to the top four finishers in each conference, teams will be eager to end the regular season strongly. The top seven teams in each conference will progress to Round One of the post-season proper, while two other teams will battle it out for the eighth spot via the Wild Card games.

The Wild Card round was a new addition for 2023, introducing a one-off winner-takes-all game between the teams in eighth and ninth in each conference.

The regular season ends with Decision Day on Saturday, October 19. Across one afternoon 28 MLS teams will be action with games played in two simultaneous bursts, first the Eastern Conference and then the Western Conference. Last year’s eventual MLS Cup winners, Columbus Crew, finished third in the Eastern Conference but bulldozed their way to the 2023 title, beating Supporters’ Shield champions FC Cincinnati en route to the final.