The road to the 2025 MLS Cup final is set \u2013 but not after some final regular-season drama.<\/p>\n
Saturday night\u2019s Decision Day slate answered the remaining questions in the standings across the Eastern and Western Conference, yielding a number of enticing first-round matchups and playoff bracket that will kick off following Wednesday night\u2019s wild card play-in games.<\/p>\n
In the Eastern Conference, all of the playoff places had been claimed prior to Decision Day, with the Philadelphia Union also seizing the Supporters\u2019 Shield<\/a> with a match to spare. All that was left to sort was the jockeying for seeding, home-field advantage and avoiding the one-off wild card round between the 8 and 9 seeds. When the dust settled, the result was a bracket featuring plenty of intrigue.<\/p>\n FC Cincinnati\u2019s reward for a second-place finish is a date with Hell Is Real rivalry foe Columbus, while Inter Miami and Lionel Messi will renew pleasantries with Nashville SC also on that side of the bracket after playing against each other on Decision Day. Nashville was left reeling by a Messi hat trick in the regular season finale<\/a>, while Miami also has bragging rights over Nashville after their 2023 Leagues Cup final thriller. The 4-5 matchup will pit Charlotte FC against NYCFC, but the better side will be shorthanded for the first match of their best-of-three series, with Wilfried Zaha\u2019s red card in the regular season closer against Philly resulting in a one-game ban.<\/p>\n Charlotte FC star man Wilfried Zaha picks up a second yellow off the ball to get sent off.<\/p>\n Just brutal, because now Zaha is suspended for the club’s first Round One playoff match against NYCFC. pic.twitter.com\/DCP6cdkNxb<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Tom Bogert (@tombogert) October 19, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n In the West, four teams vying for two unclaimed playoff places took the spotlight, but it was the two that entered the night in those places who walked away with them \u2013 albeit hardly in straightforward fashion. Shorthanded FC Dallas climbed out of the wild card places and into the No. 7 seed with a 2-1 win at 10-man Vancouver, while Portland\u2019s humiliating 4-0 home defeat to San Diego FC sent the club tumbling into the wild card round.<\/p>\n So in the 8-9 game, it\u2019ll be the Timbers hosting Real Salt Lake, who ran out to an early lead and then held on for dear life to draw St. Louis City to secure the West\u2019s last playoff berth. The two will play for the right to face top-seeded San Diego, which set the MLS record for wins and points in an expansion season and pipped Thomas M\u00fcller\u2019s Whitecaps for the No. 1 seed by virtue of Saturday night\u2019s results. Instead of sitting atop the conference, the \u2018Caps, who welcomed Ryan Gauld back from injury off the bench, will have a rematch with Dallas in the first round.<\/p>\n Elsewhere, Austin FC\u2019s playoff-worst attack (37 goals all season) will have to find the firepower to keep up with LAFC\u2019s dynamic Son Heung-min\/Denis Bouanga duo<\/a> (should Vancouver and LAFC advance, marquee summer signings M\u00fcller and Son would go head-to-head in the conference semifinals), while Minnesota United will have home-field advantage against reigning Leagues Cup winner Seattle. The Sounders were the only Western Conference team already locked into their seeding entering Saturday night (No. 5), but that didn\u2019t stop them from going to New York and claiming a 2-1 win over NYCFC.<\/p>\n MLS Cup will be held on Dec. 6 \u2013 the day after the 2026 World Cup draw in Washington, D.C. \u2013 at the home of the finalist with the better regular-season record.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s the road to getting there (Round One schedule will be played between Oct. 24 and Nov. 9; full fixture list below):<\/p>\n Eastern Conference matchups, bracket<\/p>\n 1. Philadelphia Union (66 points) vs. Winner of 8. Chicago Fire (53) vs 9. Orlando City (53) wild card<\/p>\n 4. Charlotte FC (59) vs. 5. NYCFC (56)<\/p>\n \u2014<\/p>\n 2. FC Cincinnati (65) vs. 7. Columbus Crew (54)<\/p>\n 3. Inter Miami (65) vs. 6. Nashville SC (54)<\/p>\n ELIMINATED: New York Red Bulls (43), New England Revolution (36), Toronto FC (32), CF Montr\u00e9al (28), Atlanta United (28), D.C. United (26)<\/p>\n Western Conference matchups, bracket<\/p>\n 1. San Diego FC (63 points) vs. Winner of 8. Portland Timbers (44) vs. 9. Real Salt Lake (41) wild card<\/p>\n 4. Minnesota United (58) vs. 5. Seattle Sounders (55)<\/p>\n \u2014<\/p>\n 2. Vancouver Whitecaps (63) vs. 7. FC Dallas (44)<\/p>\n 3. LAFC (60) vs. No. 6. Austin FC (47)<\/p>\n ELIMINATED: San Jose Earthquakes (41), Colorado Rapids (41), Houston Dynamo (37), St. Louis City SC (31), LA Galaxy (30), Sporting Kansas City (28)<\/p>\n All for the Cup. \ud83c\udfc6<\/p>\n Bring on the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs. \ud83c\udf7f pic.twitter.com\/ocLzeWmOPB<\/a><\/p>\n