2025 MLS Cup playoffs
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country | United States Canada |
| Dates | October 22 – December 6 |
| Teams | 18 |
| Defending champions | LA Galaxy (did not qualify) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Inter Miami CF (1st title) |
| Runners-up | Vancouver Whitecaps FC |
| Semifinalists | |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 30 |
| Goals scored | 99 (3.3 per match) |
| Attendance | 732,916 (24,431 per match) |
| Top goal scorer(s) | Tadeo Allende (Inter Miami CF) 9 goals |
The 2025 MLS Cup playoffs (branded as the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs for sponsorship reasons) was the post-season championship of Major League Soccer (MLS), the top soccer league in the United States and Canada. It was the 30th edition of the MLS Cup playoffs, following the conclusion of the 2025 season. The playoffs began on October 22 and concluded with MLS Cup 2025 on December 6.[1][2]
Both of the previous year's MLS Cup finalists, champions LA Galaxy and runners-up New York Red Bulls, failed to qualify, the latter for the first time since 2009. San Diego FC qualified for the playoffs as Western Conference champions in their inaugural MLS season, but were eliminated in the conference finals by Vancouver Whitecaps FC. The Philadelphia Union entered as Supporters' Shield and Eastern Conference champions, but were eliminated in the conference semifinals by New York City FC.
Inter Miami CF won their first MLS Cup title after defeating the Vancouver Whitecaps FC 3–1.
Format
Since the 2023 edition, the MLS Cup playoffs had been contested by a field of 18 teams—the top nine teams from each conference.[3] The top seven teams in each conference automatically qualified for round one, while the eighth and ninth-placed teams in each conference played a single wild card match to determine who drew the best-ranked team in their conference, with only a penalty shoot-out occurring if the game was tied.
The first round comprised a best-of-three format, with higher seeds playing against lower seeds. The round did not use an aggregate score, and tied matches proceeded directly to a penalty shoot-out to determine the winner. The remaining three rounds—the conference semifinals, conference finals, and MLS Cup—were single-elimination matches played with extra time and a penalty shoot-out if still tied.[1]
The team with the better regular season record hosted in all rounds except the best-of-three series in round one, where the team with the lower regular season record hosted the second of three possible matches. All matches were broadcast globally on MLS Season Pass, a streaming service operated by Apple.[1] Select matches were available on Fox Sports channels in the US.[4]
Qualified teams
The playoffs was contested by 18 teams. The date listed indicates when each team qualified for the playoffs.
|
|
Conference standings
|
Eastern Conference
Source: MLS
|
Western Conference
Source: MLS
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Bracket
The higher seeded teams hosted single-elimination matches, with the MLS Cup host determined by overall points in the Supporters' Shield table. During the best-of-three round, the team with higher seed hosted the first match (and the third match, if required).
Wild card round
| Home team | Score | Away team |
|---|---|---|
| Eastern Conference | ||
| Chicago Fire FC | 3–1 | Orlando City SC |
| Western Conference | ||
| Portland Timbers | 3–1 | Real Salt Lake |
Eastern Conference
Western Conference
Round one
| Team 1 | Series | Team 2 | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Conference | |||||
| Philadelphia Union | 2–0 | Chicago Fire FC | 2–2 (4–2 p) | 3–0 | — |
| FC Cincinnati | 2–1 | Columbus Crew | 1–0 | 0–4 | 2–1 |
| Inter Miami CF | 2–1 | Nashville SC | 3–1 | 1–2 | 4–0 |
| Charlotte FC | 1–2 | New York City FC | 0–1 | 0–0 (7–6 p) | 1–3 |
| Western Conference | |||||
| San Diego FC | 2–1 | Portland Timbers | 2–1 | 2–2 (2–3 p) | 4–0 |
| Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 2–0 | FC Dallas | 3–0 | 2–2 (4–2 p) | — |
| Los Angeles FC | 2–0 | Austin FC | 2–1 | 4–1 | — |
| Minnesota United FC | 2–1 | Seattle Sounders FC | 0–0 (3–2 p) | 2–4 | 3–3 (7–6 p) |
Eastern Conference
Philadelphia Union won the series 2–0.
| Columbus Crew | 4–0 | FC Cincinnati |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| FC Cincinnati | 2–1 | Columbus Crew |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
FC Cincinnati won the series 2–1.
| Inter Miami CF | 3–1 | Nashville SC |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Mukhtar 90+11' |
Inter Miami CF won the series 2–1.
New York City FC won the series 2–1.
Western Conference
| Portland Timbers | 2–2 | San Diego FC |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
|
| Penalties | ||
| 3–2 | ||
| San Diego FC | 4–0 | Portland Timbers |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
San Diego FC won the series 2–1.
Vancouver Whitecaps FC won the series 2–0.
| Austin FC | 1–4 | Los Angeles FC |
|---|---|---|
| Pereira 45+6' (pen.) | Report |
|
Los Angeles FC won the series 2–0.
Minnesota United FC won the series 2–1.
Conference semifinals
The higher-seeded team as determined by regular season ranking hosted the match.[1]
| Home team | Score | Away team |
|---|---|---|
| Eastern Conference | ||
| Philadelphia Union | 0–1 | New York City FC |
| FC Cincinnati | 0–4 | Inter Miami CF |
| Western Conference | ||
| San Diego FC | 1–0 | Minnesota United FC |
| Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 2–2 (a.e.t.) (4–3 p) | Los Angeles FC |
Eastern Conference
Western Conference
| Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 2–2 (a.e.t.) | Los Angeles FC |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Son Heung-min 60', 90+5' | |
| Penalties | ||
| 4–3 | ||
Conference finals
The higher-seeded team as determined by regular season ranking hosted the match.[1]
| Home team | Score | Away team |
|---|---|---|
| Eastern Conference | ||
| Inter Miami CF | 5–1 | New York City FC |
| Western Conference | ||
| San Diego FC | 1–3 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC |
Eastern Conference
Western Conference
MLS Cup 2025
The higher-ranked finalist in the overall Supporters' Shield table (Inter Miami CF) hosted the match.[1]
Top goalscorers
References
- ^ a b c d e f "MLS announces new playoff format for 2023 season". MLSsoccer.com. Major League Soccer. February 21, 2023. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
- ^ "2025 MLS playoff bracket schedule scores". Fox Sports. Retrieved October 22, 2025.
- ^ "MLS adds best-of-3 series to expanded playoffs for 2023 season". ESPN. February 21, 2023. Retrieved September 5, 2025.
- ^ "Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs: Key dates & schedule information". MLSsoccer.com. Major League Soccer. August 7, 2025. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
- ^ "Charlotte FC clinch Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs spot". Major League Soccer. September 14, 2025. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
- ^ "Chicago Fire FC clinch Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs spot". Major League Soccer. September 30, 2025. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
- ^ "FC Cincinnati clinch Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs spot". Major League Soccer. September 13, 2025. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
- ^ "Columbus Crew clinch Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs spot". Major League Soccer. September 27, 2025. Retrieved September 27, 2025.
- ^ "Inter Miami clinch Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs spot". Major League Soccer. September 24, 2025. Retrieved September 24, 2025.
- ^ "Nashville SC clinch Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs spot". Major League Soccer. September 27, 2025. Retrieved September 27, 2025.
- ^ "New York City FC clinch Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs spot". Major League Soccer. September 20, 2025. Retrieved September 20, 2025.
- ^ "Orlando City clinch Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs spot". Major League Soccer. September 27, 2025. Retrieved September 27, 2025.
- ^ "Philadelphia Union clinch Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs spot". Major League Soccer. August 30, 2025. Retrieved August 30, 2025.
- ^ "Austin FC clinch Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs spot". Major League Soccer. October 5, 2025. Retrieved October 5, 2025.
- ^ "FC Dallas clinch Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs spot". Major League Soccer. October 18, 2025. Retrieved October 18, 2025.
- ^ "LAFC clinch Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs spot". Major League Soccer. September 21, 2025. Retrieved September 21, 2025.
- ^ "Minnesota United FC clinch Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs spot". Major League Soccer. August 30, 2025. Retrieved August 30, 2025.
- ^ "Portland Timbers clinch Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs spot". Major League Soccer. October 5, 2025. Retrieved October 5, 2025.
- ^ "Real Salt Lake clinch Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs spot". Major League Soccer. October 18, 2025. Retrieved October 18, 2025.
- ^ "San Diego FC clinch Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs spot". Major League Soccer. August 23, 2025. Retrieved August 23, 2025.
- ^ "Seattle Sounders FC clinch Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs spot". Major League Soccer. September 27, 2025. Retrieved September 27, 2025.
- ^ "Vancouver Whitecaps FC clinch Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs spot". Major League Soccer. September 13, 2025. Retrieved September 13, 2025.
- ^ "Miami 3-1 Nashville". ESPN. October 24, 2025. Retrieved October 30, 2025.
- ^ "MLS Player Stats". MLSsoccer.com. Major League Soccer. Retrieved December 6, 2025.