The 2023 playoffs.

The format

How 2023 worked.

Eighteen clubs qualified, nine per conference. Seeds 8 and 9 met in a single Wild Card match at the 8 seed for the right to face the 1 seed. Round One was a best-of-three series with no aggregate score and no extra time — a drawn game went straight to penalties — with the higher seed hosting games one and three. The conference semifinals, conference finals and MLS Cup were single matches at the higher seed, with extra time and penalties if level.

• Field expanded from 14 to 18 with a new single-match Wild Card round (8 v 9).
• Round One became a best-of-three series — the first multi-game series since 2018 and the first best-of-three since 1999.
• Drawn Wild Card and Round One games went straight to penalties with no extra time.
• All matches streamed globally on MLS Season Pass (Apple).

1. 01Wild CardSingle match · 8 v 9, hosted by the 8 seed; no extra time, penalties if levelOct 25
2. 02Round OneBest of three · Best of three; no aggregate, no extra time — drawn games go straight to penaltiesOct 28 – Nov 12
3. 03Conference semifinalsSingle matchNov 25–26
4. 04Conference finalsSingle matchDec 2
5. 05MLS CupSingle matchDec 9

Seeding

Top nine per conference by points. Fixed bracket: 1 v Wild Card winner, 4 v 5, 3 v 6, 2 v 7; semifinals pair the (1/WC) and (4/5) winners and the (3/6) and (2/7) winners.

Hosting

Higher seed hosted the Wild Card match, games one and three of Round One, and every later match; MLS Cup hosted by the finalist with the better regular-season record.

Ties

Wild Card and Round One games: no extra time, penalty shoot-out if level after 90 minutes; Round One decided by games won (first to two). Semifinals onward: 30 minutes of extra time, then penalties.