The 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs start on Thursday, November 19, and for Bay Area fans the big date is Tuesday, November 24, when the San Jose Earthquakes host Houston Dynamo FC at PayPal Park in Game 1 of their Round One series. The field of 18 teams was set after Decision Day on November 7, and MLS Cup itself is scheduled for Friday, December 18.
This guide pulls the full schedule into one place with Pacific times for West Coast viewers, explains the format, and covers how to watch every match. All dates and times below come from MLS's official Round One and Wild Card matchups page and are subject to change.
MLS Cup Playoffs 2026 key dates
Per the league's key dates announcement, the top 9 teams in each conference qualify. Here is how the postseason runs:
Wild Card matches: Thursday, November 19
Round One Best-of-3 Series: starts Saturday, November 21, with Game 3 (if needed) on Wednesday, December 2
Conference Semifinals: Saturday, December 5 to Sunday, December 6
Conference Finals: Friday, December 11 to Saturday, December 12
MLS Cup: Friday, December 18
MLS says this is the last time MLS Cup will be played in December before the league moves to a summer-spring calendar, so this final has a little extra history attached.
How the 2026 playoff format works
The Wild Card round is a single elimination match between the No. 8 and No. 9 seeds in each conference, hosted by the higher seed. The winners face their conference's No. 1 seed in Round One. Every Round One series is best of 3: the higher seed hosts Game 1, the lower seed hosts Game 2, and the higher seed hosts Game 3 if it is needed, so all 16 teams get at least one home game.
From the Conference Semifinals on, every match is win or go home and hosted by the higher remaining seed. MLS Cup goes to the finalist with the better regular-season record.
Wild Card schedule with Pacific times
Eastern Conference: (8) Orlando City vs. (9) FC Cincinnati, Thursday, November 19, 4:30 pm PT (7:30 pm ET), Inter.co Stadium, Apple TV
Western Conference: (8) Seattle Sounders FC vs. (9) Real Salt Lake, Thursday, November 19, 7 pm PT (10 pm ET), Lumen Field, Apple TV
Western Conference Round One schedule
Game 3 in every series, if needed, is on Wednesday, December 2, with times to be announced.
(1) Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. Seattle or Real Salt Lake
Game 1 is Sunday, November 22 at 5:30 pm PT at BC Place (Apple TV, TSN, RDS). Game 2 is Friday, November 27 at 7 pm PT (Apple TV, FS1, FOX Deportes).
(2) FC Dallas vs. (7) Portland Timbers
Game 1 is Saturday, November 21 at 1 pm PT at Toyota Stadium. Game 2 is Saturday, November 28 at 7:30 pm PT at Providence Park. Both stream on Apple TV.
(3) St. Louis CITY SC vs. (6) LAFC
Game 1 is Monday, November 23 at 5 pm PT at Energizer Park (Apple TV, FS1, FOX Deportes, TSN, RDS). Game 2 is Saturday, November 28 at 5:30 pm PT at BMO Stadium on Apple TV.
(4) San Jose Earthquakes vs. (5) Houston Dynamo FC
Game 1 is Tuesday, November 24 at 7 pm PT at PayPal Park (Apple TV, FS1, FOX Deportes, TSN, RDS). Game 2 is Saturday, November 28 at 11:30 am PT at Shell Energy Stadium on Apple TV, and a Game 3 would return to PayPal Park on December 2.
MLS notes that San Jose earned home-field advantage under head coach Bruce Arena, with winter signing Timo Werner adding star power and Preston Judd scoring 17 goals. If you are in San Jose, Santa Clara or anywhere along the Peninsula, this is the playoff soccer to plan around. It also fits what Tribe is building with South Bay Renaissance, our effort to rebuild the South Bay and Peninsula startup and social scene in person, one gathering at a time.
Eastern Conference Round One schedule
(1) Nashville SC vs. Orlando or Cincinnati
Game 1 is Sunday, November 22 at 1 pm PT at GEODIS Park (Apple TV, FS1, FOX Deportes, TSN, RDS). Game 2 is Saturday, November 28 at 3:30 pm PT on Apple TV. Nashville won its first Supporters' Shield this season with a record 77 points.
(2) Inter Miami CF vs. (7) Columbus Crew
Game 1 is Saturday, November 21 at 3 pm PT at Nu Stadium on Apple TV. Game 2 is Friday, November 27 at 5 pm PT at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field (Apple TV, FS1, FOX Deportes, TSN, RDS). Miami are the defending MLS Cup champions, and Lionel Messi won a second straight Golden Boot.
(3) New England Revolution vs. (6) Philadelphia Union
Game 1 is Saturday, November 21 at 11 am PT at Gillette Stadium. Game 2 is Saturday, November 28 at 1:30 pm PT at Subaru Park. Both are on Apple TV.
(4) Chicago Fire FC vs. (5) Charlotte FC
Game 1 is Sunday, November 22 at 3:30 pm PT at SeatGeek Stadium (Apple TV, FS1, FOX Deportes, TSN, RDS). Game 2 is Saturday, November 28 at 9:30 am PT at Bank of America Stadium on Apple TV.
How to watch the MLS playoffs in the US
Every playoff match airs live on Apple TV, according to the official MLS announcement, with English and Spanish commentary options. Select games, including MLS Cup, will also be available through FOX Sports in the United States and on TSN and RDS in Canada, and the schedule above notes which Round One games also air on FS1 and FOX Deportes.
If you follow more than one sport this month, the calendar is crowded. Our guides to the NBA Cup 2026 schedule and the Davis Cup Final 8 can help you plan the rest of your week.
Watch with your soccer crew
Playoff soccer is better with people who care as much as you do. Join the Footy Fans Tribe to talk through every Round One series, and see how the community argues about the game in inside the Footy Fans Tribe debates. Setting up a watch party chat? Grab a name from our soccer group chat names list, and follow the Tribe Events calendar on Luma for meetups around the Bay Area.
