The 2025 MLS Cup playoffs (branded as the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs for sponsorship reasons) was the post-season championship of Major League Soccer (MLS), the top soccer league in the United States and Canada. It was the 30th edition of the MLS Cup playoffs, following the conclusion of the 2025 season. The playoffs began on October 22 and concluded with MLS Cup 2025 on December 6.[1][2]
Since the 2023 edition, the MLS Cup playoffs had been contested by a field of 18 teams—the top nine teams from each conference.[3] The top seven teams in each conference automatically qualified for round one, while the eighth and ninth-placed teams in each conference played a single wild card match to determine who drew the best-ranked team in their conference, with only a penalty shoot-out occurring if the game was tied.
The first round comprised a best-of-three format, with higher seeds playing against lower seeds. The round did not use an aggregate score, and tied matches proceeded directly to a penalty shoot-out to determine the winner. The remaining three rounds—the conference semifinals, conference finals, and MLS Cup—were single-elimination matches played with extra time and a penalty shoot-out if still tied.[1]
The team with the better regular season record hosted in all rounds except the best-of-three series in round one, where the team with the lower regular season record hosted the second of three possible matches. All matches were broadcast globally on MLS Season Pass, a streaming service operated by Apple.[1] Select matches were available on Fox Sports channels in the US.[4]
Qualified teams
The playoffs was contested by 18 teams. The date listed indicates when each team qualified for the playoffs.
The higher seeded teams hosted single-elimination matches, with the MLS Cup host determined by overall points in the Supporters' Shield table. During the best-of-three round, the team with higher seed hosted the first match (and the third match, if required).
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