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NEWSWe’re officially through matchday 4 of the 2026 Major League Soccer season!
With fans seeing the current state of their teams, many are happy with the results & many others are quite concerned.
With all that in mind, Major League Soccer has announced the Audi 2026 MLS Cup Playoff schedule, so, here at Spotrac, we’re showcasing the new official dates of the 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs:
Audi 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs Wild Card Matches: Wednesday, November 18
The Audi 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs Wild Card matches will feature a single-game elimination match in each conference between the No. 8 and No. 9 seed, which will be hosted by the higher seed and played on Wednesday, November 18.
The winners will advance to the Round One Best-of-3 Series to face their respective conferences’ No. 1 seeds.
Audi 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs Round One Best-of-3 Series: Friday, November 20 – Wednesday, December 2
The top seven teams from each conference will automatically qualify for the Round One Best-of-3 Series, followed by the respective winners of the Wild Card matches.
All 16 teams participating in Round One will play at least one home playoff game in the series.
Each series will see the higher seed host the first game, the lower seed host the second game, before returning, if necessary, to the higher seed’s venue for the pivotal final game.
Audi 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs Conference Semifinals: Saturday, December 5 – Sunday, December 6
Following the excitement of the Best-of-3 Series, the single-elimination win-or-go-home Conference Semifinals will be contested on Saturday, December 5, and Sunday, December 6.
MLS regular season play is key as each of the four matches are hosted by the team with the better regular-season record.
Audi 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs Conference Finals: Friday, December 11 – Saturday, December 12
A berth to 2026 MLS Cup presented by Audi will be up for grabs on Friday, December 11 and Saturday, December 12 as the Eastern and Western Conference Finals will determine who competes for 2026 MLS Cup.
2026 MLS Cup presented by Audi: Friday, December 18
The postseason culminates with a historic 2026 MLS Cup presented by Audi taking place in primetime on Friday, December 18.
Hosting rights will be awarded to the finalist that finished higher in the Supporters’ Shield standings at the conclusion of the regular season.
2026 MLS Cup presented by Audi marks the last time the marquee match will take place in December before the league’s historic shift to a summer-spring calendar.
In addition to becoming 2026 MLS Cup presented by Audi champion, the winner will receive a bye in the 2027 Concacaf Champions Cup and begin play in the Round of 16, and represent MLS in the 2027 Michelob ULTRA Campeones Cup.