Ninety minutes
A match is two 45-minute halves. The team that scores more goals wins. A draw is a legal regular-season result — each side gets one point.
Soccer · 2026
MLS, explained.
Thirty clubs. Eighteen playoff teams. One MLS Cup. Here’s the quick guide.
MLS is the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada: 30 clubs in two conferences, a 34-match regular season, and a November–December playoff that ends with MLS Cup.
League contact
Headquarters published by MLS. For tickets or a specific club, use that team — not the league office.
- Headquarters
- Major League Soccer
PENN 2
2 Pennsylvania Plaza, Floor 15
New York, NY 10121 - Phone
- (212) 450-1200
A short history
Major League Soccer was founded after the United States hosted the 1994 FIFA World Cup. The first season was 1996, with 10 clubs. The championship is MLS Cup. The regular-season points leader wins the Supporters’ Shield — a separate trophy from the playoff title.
The league has grown to 30 clubs, including three in Canada: Toronto FC, CF Montréal, and the Vancouver Whitecaps. San Diego FC joined in 2025. 2026 is the 31st season, and the last MLS Cup played in December before a shift to a summer-to-spring calendar in 2027.
Current teams
Fifteen clubs in each conference. Open a team for scores, the next match, and news.
Eastern Conference
2026 schedule
The regular season runs February 21 to November 7, 2026. Each club plays 34 matches — 17 home, 17 away. MLS paused from May 25 to July 16 for the FIFA World Cup in North America. Decision Day is November 7.
How the league works
Two conferences, three points for a win, and a table that feeds an 18-team playoff.
Standings points
A win is three points. A draw is one. A loss is zero. Conference tables decide playoff seeds. The league-wide points leader wins the Supporters’ Shield.
Conference schedule
Clubs play every conference opponent twice (28 matches) plus six cross-conference games. That is why the East and West tables matter more than the league-wide list.
Scoring
A goal is one. There is no equivalent of a field goal. Offside, a penalty kick, and added time at the end of each half are the rules that change most games.
The Shield vs. the Cup
The Supporters’ Shield is the regular-season title. MLS Cup is the playoff championship. A club can win one without the other.
Conferences
The Eastern and Western Conferences each have 15 clubs. There are no divisions inside a conference.
The season
Preseason in winter, 34 regular-season matches from February to November, then the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs through mid-December.
How the playoffs work
Eighteen clubs — nine from each conference. MLS Cup is a single match, hosted by the finalist with the better Supporters’ Shield standing.
Who gets in
The top seven in each conference go straight to a best-of-three Round One. Seeds 8 and 9 play a single Wild Card. The winner takes the last Round One spot.
Round One, then knockouts
Round One is first to two wins. Conference semifinals and conference finals are single-elimination, hosted by the better regular-season record. In 2026 those rounds are December 5–12.
MLS Cup
The East and West winners meet in one match. In 2026 that is Friday, December 18 — the last December MLS Cup before the calendar change.
2026 dates: Wild Card and Round One begin November 18, after a pause for the November FIFA window. Hosting for MLS Cup goes to the finalist that finished higher in the Supporters’ Shield table.
For the live tables that feed these seeds, see the MLS standings.
Office address, 2026 dates, and playoff rules checked September 24, 2026. Use the official MLS links if an address, number, or date changes.