The 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs (branded as the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs for sponsorship reasons) is the ongoing post-season championship of Major League Soccer (MLS), the top soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is the 28th edition of the MLS Cup Playoffs, the tournament culminating at the end of the 2023 regular season. The playoffs began on October 25 and are scheduled to conclude with MLS Cup 2023 on December 9.[1]
The playoffs feature a new format from previous years with an expanded field of 18 teams—the top nine teams from each conference. The eighth and ninth placed teams in each conference contested a single wild card match with no extra time before a penalty shoot-out. Round One will comprise a best-of-three format with higher seeds playing against lower seeds, for the first time since 1999. The round will have no aggregate score and tied matches will proceed directly to a penalty shootout to determine the winner. The remaining three rounds — the Conference Semifinals, Conference Final, and MLS Cup — will be single-elimination matches played with extra time and a penalty shootout if still tied.[1][2] The higher seed hosts the match in all rounds except for the best-of-three series in Round One, where the lower seed hosts the second of three possible matches. All matches will be broadcast globally on MLS Season Pass, a streaming service operated by Apple.[1]
The introduction of a best-of-three round and the expanded field, which allows 62 percent of the league's 29 teams to qualify for the playoffs, were criticized for being more confusing and diluting the competition.[3] It was the first major revamp of the playoff format since 2019, when all rounds were switched to single-elimination matches.[4] The format adds more matches, including home games for lower seeds, and was developed with fan input according to MLS officials; other outlets noted that new broadcaster Apple TV would benefit from the additional matches.[5][6] The new playoff format was announced on February 21, 2023, shortly before the start of the regular season;[7] earlier media reports indicated that another format with a round-robin group stage was also considered.[8]
The higher seeded teams host single-elimination matches, with the MLS Cup host determined by overall points in the Supporters' Shield table. During best-of-three rounds, the team with higher seed will host the first match and third match if necessary.
Elias Manoel
Patrick Agyemang
Kerwin Vargas