MLS Playoff Picture 2026
Final 2026 MLS standings and playoff seeding: the top nine in each conference, with seeds 8 and 9 in the Wild Card match.
East Playoff Picture
Final seeding
Nashville SCEastern Conference · Conf 19-3 · W2Clinched23W-8D-3L+462
Inter Miami CFEastern Conference · Conf 13-5 · T1Clinched16W-12D-6L+213
New England RevolutionEastern Conference · Conf 17-7 · L2Clinched18W-4D-12L+84
Chicago FireEastern Conference · Conf 12-10 · L1Clinched16W-7D-11L+105
Charlotte FCEastern Conference · Conf 13-8 · T1Clinched15W-9D-10L+156
Philadelphia UnionEastern Conference · Conf 10-11 · W1Clinched14W-8D-12L+147
Columbus CrewEastern Conference · Conf 11-13 · W6Clinched14W-5D-15L+78
Orlando City SCEastern Conference · Conf 10-12 · W1Wild Card match13W-7D-14L-159
FC CincinnatiEastern Conference · Conf 10-11 · L1Wild Card match12W-10D-12L-8| Seed | Team | W-D-L | PTS | Conf | Diff | Strk | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nashville SCEastern Conference | 23W-8D-3L | 77 | 19-3-6 | +46 | W2 | Clinched playoffs |
| 2 | Inter Miami CFEastern Conference | 16W-12D-6L | 60 | 13-5-10 | +21 | T1 | Clinched playoffs |
| 3 | New England RevolutionEastern Conference | 18W-4D-12L | 58 | 17-7-4 | +8 | L2 | Clinched playoffs |
| 4 | Chicago FireEastern Conference | 16W-7D-11L | 55 | 12-10-6 | +10 | L1 | Clinched playoffs |
| 5 | Charlotte FCEastern Conference | 15W-9D-10L | 54 | 13-8-7 | +15 | T1 | Clinched playoffs |
| 6 | Philadelphia UnionEastern Conference | 14W-8D-12L | 50 | 10-11-7 | +14 | W1 | Clinched playoffs |
| 7 | Columbus CrewEastern Conference | 14W-5D-15L | 47 | 11-13-4 | +7 | W6 | Clinched playoffs |
| 8 | Orlando City SCEastern Conference | 13W-7D-14L | 46 | 10-12-6 | -15 | W1 | Wild Card match |
| 9 | FC CincinnatiEastern Conference | 12W-10D-12L | 46 | 10-11-7 | -8 | L1 | Wild Card match |
West Playoff Picture
Final seeding
Vancouver WhitecapsWestern Conference · Conf 16-6 · W3Clinched19W-7D-8L+402
FC DallasWestern Conference · Conf 13-6 · W1Clinched16W-10D-8L+113
St.Louis CityWestern Conference · Conf 12-10 · W1Clinched15W-9D-10L+114
San Jose EarthquakesWestern Conference · Conf 12-8 · L1Clinched14W-10D-10L+65
Houston DynamoWestern Conference · Conf 11-11 · L2Clinched14W-9D-11L06
Los Angeles FCWestern Conference · Conf 9-10 · L2Clinched12W-11D-11L+127
Portland TimbersWestern Conference · Conf 11-11 · W4Top seven13W-7D-14L+18
Seattle Sounders FCWestern Conference · Conf 11-11 · W1Wild Card match12W-10D-12L-29
Real Salt LakeWestern Conference · Conf 11-11 · W1Wild Card match13W-6D-15L+1| Seed | Team | W-D-L | PTS | Conf | Diff | Strk | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vancouver WhitecapsWestern Conference | 19W-7D-8L | 64 | 16-6-6 | +40 | W3 | Clinched playoffs |
| 2 | FC DallasWestern Conference | 16W-10D-8L | 58 | 13-6-9 | +11 | W1 | Clinched playoffs |
| 3 | St.Louis CityWestern Conference | 15W-9D-10L | 54 | 12-10-6 | +11 | W1 | Clinched playoffs |
| 4 | San Jose EarthquakesWestern Conference | 14W-10D-10L | 52 | 12-8-8 | +6 | L1 | Clinched playoffs |
| 5 | Houston DynamoWestern Conference | 14W-9D-11L | 51 | 11-11-6 | 0 | L2 | Clinched playoffs |
| 6 | Los Angeles FCWestern Conference | 12W-11D-11L | 47 | 9-10-9 | +12 | L2 | Clinched playoffs |
| 7 | Portland TimbersWestern Conference | 13W-7D-14L | 46 | 11-11-6 | +1 | W4 | Top seven |
| 8 | Seattle Sounders FCWestern Conference | 12W-10D-12L | 46 | 11-11-6 | -2 | W1 | Wild Card match |
| 9 | Real Salt LakeWestern Conference | 13W-6D-15L | 45 | 11-11-6 | +1 | W1 | Wild Card match |
Division Races
Seeds 1-7 straight to Round One · 8-9 Wild Card match · Ranked by points (3 per win, 1 per draw), then wins, goal difference and goals scored
Round One Matchups
FC at 4FireGame 1 · · Apple TVEast6Union at 3RevolutionGame 1 · · Apple TVEast7Crew at 2CFGame 1 · · Apple TVWest5Dynamo at 4EarthquakesGame 1 · · Apple TVWest6FC at 3St. LouisGame 1 · · Apple TVWest7Timbers at 2DallasGame 1 · · Apple TVHow the MLS Playoff Picture Is Calculated
The top nine clubs in each conference qualify, ranked by points (three for a win, one for a draw), then wins, goal difference and goals scored. Seeds 1 to 7 go straight into Round One; seeds 8 and 9 play a Wild Card match. A team is marked clinched when no result can drop it out of the top 8, and eliminated when it can no longer catch the last spot. Magic numbers count the wins and rival losses still needed. Tiebreakers follow the league order.
These are the final seeds from the full regular-season standings.
MLS playoff picture FAQ
Who is in the East Wild Card match right now?
Orlando City SC (46 points) and FC Cincinnati (46 points).
Who is in the West Wild Card match right now?
Seattle Sounders FC (46 points) and Real Salt Lake (45 points).
How many teams make the MLS playoffs?
18 of 30: the top nine in each conference. Seeds 1 to 7 go straight to Round One; seeds 8 and 9 play a Wild Card match.
How do MLS standings points work?
Three points for a win, one for a draw, none for a loss.
How are ties in the MLS standings broken?
Total wins, then goal difference, goals scored, fewest disciplinary points, away goal difference, away goals, home goal difference, home goals and finally a coin toss.