2026 season · 34 regular-season games
MLS Playoff Picture 2026 — Standings, Magic Numbers & Clinch Scenarios
Nine clubs from each conference reach the MLS Cup Playoffs. Seeds 1–7 go straight to Round One and seeds 8 and 9 meet in a Wild Card game, so finishing seventh rather than eighth saves a knockout game.
Playoff picture
The clubs that would qualify if the regular season ended today.
Eastern Conference
Round One (seeds 1–7)
- 1Nashville SCPts 67
- 2Inter Miami CFPts 55
- 3New England RevolutionPts 52
- 4Chicago Fire FCPts 48
- 5Charlotte FCPts 47
- 6Philadelphia UnionPts 46
- 7Orlando City SCPts 41
Wild Card (seeds 8–9)
- 8Red Bull New YorkPts 36
- 9FC CincinnatiPts 36
Western Conference
Round One (seeds 1–7)
- 1Vancouver WhitecapsPts 55
- 2St. Louis CITY SCPts 51
- 3FC DallasPts 51
- 4San Jose EarthquakesPts 48
- 5Houston Dynamo FCPts 47
- 6LAFCPts 46
- 7Seattle Sounders FCPts 42
Wild Card (seeds 8–9)
- 8LA GalaxyPts 40
- 9Colorado RapidsPts 39
Conference standings
Data: ESPN · · Method →
Eastern Conference
| # | Club | GP | W-D-L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nashville SC | 30 | 20-7-3 | +41 | 67 |
| 2 | Inter Miami CF | 30 | 15-10-5 | +22 | 55 |
| 3 | New England Revolution | 30 | 16-4-10 | +8 | 52 |
| 4 | Chicago Fire FC | 30 | 14-6-10 | +8 | 48 |
| 5 | Charlotte FC | 30 | 13-8-9 | +8 | 47 |
| 6 | Philadelphia Union | 30 | 13-7-10 | +13 | 46 |
| 7 | Orlando City SC | 30 | 12-5-13 | -12 | 41 |
| 8 | Red Bull New York | 30 | 10-6-14 | -17 | 36 |
| 9 | FC Cincinnati | 29 | 9-9-11 | -10 | 36 |
| 10 | Toronto FC | 30 | 8-12-10 | -9 | 36 |
| 11 | Columbus Crew | 30 | 10-5-15 | -1 | 35 |
| 12 | New York City FC | 30 | 8-10-12 | +2 | 34 |
| 13 | D.C. United | 29 | 7-12-10 | -14 | 33 |
| 14 | Atlanta United FC | 30 | 8-6-16 | -14 | 30 |
| 15 | CF Montréal | 30 | 6-7-17 | -24 | 25 |
Western Conference
| # | Club | GP | W-D-L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vancouver Whitecaps | 30 | 16-7-7 | +32 | 55 |
| 2 | St. Louis CITY SC | 30 | 14-9-7 | +15 | 51 |
| 3 | FC Dallas | 30 | 14-9-7 | +8 | 51 |
| 4 | San Jose Earthquakes | 30 | 13-9-8 | +10 | 48 |
| 5 | Houston Dynamo FC | 30 | 13-8-9 | +2 | 47 |
| 6 | LAFC | 31 | 12-10-9 | +15 | 46 |
| 7 | Seattle Sounders FC | 30 | 11-9-10 | +2 | 42 |
| 8 | LA Galaxy | 31 | 10-10-11 | -9 | 40 |
| 9 | Colorado Rapids | 30 | 11-6-13 | 0 | 39 |
| 10 | Real Salt Lake | 30 | 10-6-14 | -3 | 36 |
| 11 | Portland Timbers | 30 | 9-7-14 | -5 | 34 |
| 12 | San Diego FC | 30 | 8-10-12 | -3 | 34 |
| 13 | Minnesota United FC | 30 | 8-10-12 | -8 | 34 |
| 14 | Austin FC | 30 | 7-10-13 | -18 | 31 |
| 15 | Sporting Kansas City | 30 | 6-4-20 | -39 | 22 |
Playoff scenarios — how many points to clinch
Arithmetic, not probability. The fewest further points that guarantee a top-nine finish even if every rival wins out, and whether a club is already mathematically out.
Data: ESPN · · Method →
Eastern Conference
| Club | Pts | Left | Possible | Points to clinch | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nashville SC1–7 | 67 | 4 | 1–2 | Clinched | Clinched |
| Inter Miami CF1–7 | 55 | 4 | 1–6 | Clinched | Clinched |
| New England Revolution1–7 | 52 | 4 | 2–7 | Clinched | Clinched |
| Chicago Fire FC1–7 | 48 | 4 | 2–11 | 1 | In the race |
| Charlotte FC1–7 | 47 | 4 | 2–12 | 2 | In the race |
| Philadelphia Union1–7 | 46 | 4 | 2–13 | 3 | In the race |
| Orlando City SC1–7 | 41 | 4 | 3–14 | 8 | In the race |
| Red Bull New YorkWC | 36 | 4 | 4–15 | - | In the race |
| FC CincinnatiWC | 36 | 5 | 4–15 | 13 | In the race |
| Toronto FC | 36 | 4 | 4–15 | - | In the race |
| Columbus Crew | 35 | 4 | 5–15 | - | In the race |
| New York City FC | 34 | 4 | 6–15 | - | In the race |
| D.C. United | 33 | 5 | 4–15 | - | In the race |
| Atlanta United FC | 30 | 4 | 7–15 | - | In the race |
| CF Montréal | 25 | 4 | 8–15 | - | In the race |
Western Conference
| Club | Pts | Left | Possible | Points to clinch | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vancouver Whitecaps1–7 | 55 | 4 | 1–6 | Clinched | Clinched |
| St. Louis CITY SC1–7 | 51 | 4 | 1–8 | Clinched | Clinched |
| FC Dallas1–7 | 51 | 4 | 1–8 | Clinched | Clinched |
| San Jose Earthquakes1–7 | 48 | 4 | 1–10 | 1 | In the race |
| Houston Dynamo FC1–7 | 47 | 4 | 1–10 | 2 | In the race |
| LAFC1–7 | 46 | 3 | 1–13 | 3 | In the race |
| Seattle Sounders FC1–7 | 42 | 4 | 2–14 | 7 | In the race |
| LA GalaxyWC | 40 | 3 | 4–14 | 9 | In the race |
| Colorado RapidsWC | 39 | 4 | 2–14 | 10 | In the race |
| Real Salt Lake | 36 | 4 | 4–14 | - | In the race |
| Portland Timbers | 34 | 4 | 6–15 | - | In the race |
| San Diego FC | 34 | 4 | 6–15 | - | In the race |
| Minnesota United FC | 34 | 4 | 6–15 | - | In the race |
| Austin FC | 31 | 4 | 7–15 | - | In the race |
| Sporting Kansas City | 22 | 4 | 11–15 | - | Eliminated |
Upcoming games
Thu, Oct 22 · Korea time
- 08:00D.C. United@FC CincinnatiTV Apple TV
Sun, Oct 25 · Korea time
- 02:30Nashville SC@CF MontréalTV Apple TV
- 04:30Toronto FC@Columbus CrewTV Apple TV
- 06:30Inter Miami CF@Red Bull New YorkTV Apple TV
- 08:30Chicago Fire FC@Atlanta United FCTV Apple TV
- 08:30FC Cincinnati@D.C. UnitedTV Apple TV
- 08:30New York City FC@Orlando City SCTV Apple TV
- 08:30New England Revolution@Philadelphia UnionTV Apple TV
- 09:30Vancouver Whitecaps@Colorado RapidsTV Apple TV
- 09:30San Jose Earthquakes@FC DallasTV Apple TV
- 09:30Minnesota United FC@Houston Dynamo FCTV Apple TV
- 09:30St. Louis CITY SC@Real Salt LakeTV Apple TV
- 09:30Austin FC@Sporting Kansas CityTV Apple TV
- 11:30Charlotte FC@Portland TimbersTV Apple TV
- 11:30Seattle Sounders FC@San Diego FCTV Apple TV
Thu, Oct 29 · Korea time
- 08:30CF Montréal@Charlotte FCTV Apple TV
- 08:30FC Cincinnati@Inter Miami CFTV Apple TV
- 08:30Red Bull New York@New England RevolutionTV Apple TV
- 08:30Atlanta United FC@New York City FCTV Apple TV
Travel for upcoming games
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Tickets, stays and airport transfers by host city · local dates
- CincinnatiWed, 10/21 DC @ CIN
Frequently asked questions
How many teams make the MLS Cup Playoffs?
Eighteen: the top nine in each conference. Seeds 1–7 go straight to Round One; seeds 8 and 9 play a one-game Wild Card for the last Round One place.
When does the MLS regular season end?
On Decision Day, Saturday 7 November 2026 (US date), when every club plays its 34th game. The Wild Card round follows on 18 November and MLS Cup is on 18 December.
Do these numbers use the official tiebreakers?
Only partly. The tables order level clubs by wins, goal difference and goals scored, as MLS does. The clinch and elimination arithmetic counts any level points total against the club, so it never depends on a tiebreaker. Disciplinary points and home/away goals are not modelled.
What is a Round One best-of-three?
Two or three games with no draws: a game level after 90 minutes goes to penalties, and the first club to two wins advances. The higher seed hosts games 1 and 3.
Data: ESPN public standings and scoreboards (unofficial), tallied by us. Standings and scenarios are our own calculation and may differ from MLS announcements.