MLS Cup playoffs odds and bracket

Following the regular season, the Major League Soccer (MLS) playoffs are held to decide the MLS Cup winner for that season. The playoffs are contested by a total of 14 teams (seven from each conference) and normally take place from early to mid-October to early November, starting the week after the regular season finishes for a three-week period.

The winners of each conference in the regular season receive an automatic bye to the conference semi-finals, while the teams in second to seventh progress to the first round, in which they face off to decide the other three conference semi-final spots. The team that finished second plays the team that came seventh, third plays sixth, and fourth plays fifth, with the team that finished higher in the conference regular season standings awarded home advantage.

From the conference semi-finals onwards, the playoffs are a straight knockout bracket, with the same home advantage rule applying throughout. The two conference semi-finals winners then contest the Conference Finals, and the two Conference Finals winners face off in the MLS Cup Final for the chance to be crowned champions for that season. For the Final, whichever team finished higher in the overall MLS standings that season gets to play the match at their home stadium.

The MLS Cup playoffs use a one-leg format throughout, meaning if the game is tied after 90 minutes, extra time and then a penalty shootout are used to determine the winner.

As well as the MLS Cup winner and outright champion for that season, the MLS playoffs also determine the two conference champions for that year. The two teams that win the Conference Finals are then also crowned the Eastern and Western Conference champions.

Many sportsbooks offer futures markets every season for MLS conference champions, though it may be advisable to check that they are referring to the team declared champions via the playoffs, as opposed to the team which simply finishes first in the conference regular season standings. Naturally, to stand a chance of becoming conference champions, a team needs to produce consistently strong performances throughout the regular season to qualify for the playoffs, as well as the ability to navigate potentially difficult and tense one-off knockout games.

D.C. United and New England Revolution are the joint-most successful teams in the Eastern Conference having been champions five times each, while the LA Galaxy have been crowned Western Conference champions a record eight times. Ahead of the 2022 playoffs, the Eastern Conference had produced 12 MLS Cup winners to the Western Conference’s 10.

Below are the last 10 teams to have won the MLS Cup. The 2022 MLS Cup Final will take place on November 5.