Up to 20 clubs could reach MLS postseason in league’s new plan to overhaul playoff format

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Key points

• The 20 best clubs at the end of the season will create the playoffs, with eight taking part in a play-in round.
• The format is similar to that of the way things are done in Australian rules football.
• "This process remains ongoing, and no determinations have been made at this time."
• According to The Guardian additionally, teams would be re-seeded after each round.
• MLS has changed its playoff format a number of times over the course of the league's existence.

Major League Soccer will go through one of the biggest changes in the league's history next summer when it moves to a summer-to-spring calendar, and with it will come a new look to its playoff system.

While MLS has remained tight-lipped regarding what the updated playoff format will look like, The Guardian noted on Thursday that the new-look playoffs could include some sort of "double elimination" component and include up to 20 clubs.

Meanwhile, the outlet documented that the playoffs under the new calendar would commence in late April and play out over a three-week period, ending with the MLS Cup on May 21, 2028.

"Major League Soccer is continuing to evaluate potential adjustments to its postseason format as part of a broader review of the league's shift to a new competition calendar, beginning with the 2027-28 season, " MLS informed The Guardian in an official note. "This process remains ongoing, and no determinations have been made at this time."

MLS is going through a massive overhaul as part of the calendar change, additionally introducing a new way to divide up its teams, changing from the current Eastern and Western Conference format to a five-division setup.

Meanwhile, the 20 best clubs at the end of the season will create the playoffs, with eight taking part in a play-in round. The four teams that advance will be included in a field of 16 clubs.

In practice, the top eight clubs in the combined table at the end of the season would take part in a double-elimination round, and the winning teams would earn a direct bid to the quarterfinals.

For context, the format is similar to that of the way things are done in Australian rules football.

In short, up to 20 clubs could reach MLS postseason in league's new plan is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.