Major League Soccer has one of the most unique structures in world soccer.
While many leagues around the globe use a standard single-table system, where every team plays each other twice per season, MLS takes a completely different approach: two conferences, playoffs and then a final—the MLS Cup—to determine the ultimate champion.
So how many games does each team play each year? What’s the minimum and maximum number of fixtures? Here, Sports Illustrated breaks it down.
How Many Games Do MLS Teams Play in a Season?
Unlike other major European leagues, such as the Premier League and La Liga, MLS is split into two conferences—the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference—each consisting of 15 teams.
Each team plays every other team in its conference twice during the regular season, totaling 28 matches. On top of that, there are six cross-conference matchups for each club, bringing the total number of regular-season games to 34.
At the end of the season, the top nine teams from each conference qualify for the MLS Cup playoffs, which can consist of up to four rounds.
The postseason begins with a Wild Card round, where the bottom two qualifying teams in each conference face off in a single match to earn a spot in Round One. From there, teams compete in a best-of-three series to advance to the conference semifinals and then the conference finals, both of which are single matches.
The winners of each conference final then meet in the MLS Cup to determine the league champion.
This structure means that teams reaching the MLS Cup can play up to seven playoff games, which, combined with the 34 regular-season matches, totals a potential 41 games in a season.
While not a team fixture, the MLS All-Star Game—bringing the league’s top players together for one showcase match—can add an extra appearance for selected stars.
MLS Eastern Conference Teams
Here’s a list of every Eastern Conference team in MLS for 2026, along with their home stadiums:
| Team | Stadium |
|---|---|
| Atlanta United | Mercedes-Benz Stadium |
| Charlotte FC | Bank of America Stadium |
| Chicago Fire FC | Solider Field |
| FC Cincinnati | TQL Stadium |
| Columbus Crew | ScottsMiracle-Gro Field |
| D.C. United | Audi Field |
| Inter Miami CF | Nu Stadium |
| CF Montréal | Saputo Stadium |
| Nashville SC | Geodis Park |
| New England Revolution | Gillette Stadium |
| New York City FC | Yankee Stadium/Citi Field |
| New York Red Bulls | Sports Illustrated Stadium |
| Orlando City | Inter&Co Stadium |
| Philadelphia Union | Subaru Park |
| Toronto FC | BMO Field |
MLS Western Conference Teams
Here’s a list of every Western Conference team in MLS for 2026, along with their home stadiums:
| Team | Stadium |
|---|---|
| Austin FC | Q2 Stadium |
| Colorado Rapids | Dick's Sporting Goods Park |
| FC Dallas | Toyota Stadium |
| Houston Dynamo FC | Shell Energy Stadium |
| Sporting Kansas City | Sporting Park |
| LA Galaxy | Dignity Health Sports Park |
| Los Angeles Football Club | BMO Stadium |
| Minnesota United | Allianz Field |
| Portland Timbers | Providence Park |
| Real Salt Lake | America First Field |
| San Diego FC | Snapdragon Stadium |
| San Jose Earthquakes | PayPal Park |
| Seattle Sounders FC | Lumen Field |
| St. Louis City SC | Energizer Park |
| Vancouver Whitecaps FC | BC Place |
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as How Many Games Do MLS Teams Play in a Season?.
