Major League Soccer is preparing one of the most significant structural overhauls in its history as the league transitions to a new summer-to-spring calendar.
The new calendar, set to begin with the 2027-28 season, will bring sweeping changes to MLS’s postseason format, according to a report from The Guardian published on Thursday.
MLS has largely kept details close to its chest, but the new playoff structure could include some form of double elimination and feature as many as 20 participating clubs.
“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 said in a statement provided to The Guardian.
The playoff changes would also coincide with a reported shift in the regular season structure, with the league moving away from the Eastern and Western Conference setup toward a five-division format.
Crucially, the 20 available playoff spots would not be distributed evenly across divisions, with all clubs instead pooled into a single combined table at the end of the season.
Under the reported format, the top 20 clubs in that combined table would advance to the postseason, with eight of those teams entering a play-in round to compete for four additional spots.
Those four play-in winners would join 12 other clubs in a 16-team bracket, while the top eight sides in the combined standings would enter a double-elimination round for a direct quarterfinal berth.
The Guardian also reported that teams would be reseeded after each round, a format drawing comparisons to how playoffs operate in Australian rules football.
Under the proposed schedule, the postseason would begin in late April and conclude with the MLS Cup on May 21, 2028, playing out over a three-week period.
Supporters of the format will argue it provides meaningful rewards for strong regular season performances, a persistent criticism of the existing MLS playoff structure given how much standings matter in global football culture.
However, a field of 20 teams risks making the postseason feel bloated and unnecessarily complex, particularly for fans and broadcasters trying to follow the format closely.
The television dimension may ultimately prove the most critical factor, with MLS and Apple having agreed to cut their streaming deal short so that it now expires after the 2028-29 season.
How broadcast partners respond to the new format could shape just how ambitious MLS is willing to be as it enters this transformative new chapter.
