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NEW YORK (Monday, March 16, 2026) – Major League Soccer today announced the schedule for the Audi 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs and 2026 MLS Cup presented by Audi, which will take place on Friday, December 18 and air in primetime on Apple TV, FOX, TSN and RDS.
Following the conclusion of the MLS regular season with Decision Day 2026 on Saturday, November 7 and a pause for the November FIFA international window, the Audi 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs will begin on Wednesday, November 18 and unfold across four consecutive weeks leading into 2026 MLS Cup presented by Audi on Friday, December 18.
Audi 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs Wild Card Matches (Wednesday, November 18)
The Audi 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs Wild Card matches will feature a single-game elimination match in each conference between the No. 8 and No. 9 seed, which will be hosted by the higher seed and played on Wednesday, November 18. The winners will advance to the Round One Best-of-3 Series to face their respective conferences’ No. 1 seeds.
Audi 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs Round One Best-of-3 Series (Friday, November 20 – Wednesday, December 2)
The top seven teams from each conference will automatically qualify for the Round One Best-of-3 Series, followed by the respective winners of the Wild Card matches. All 16 teams participating in Round One will play at least one home playoff game in the series. Each series will see the higher seed host the first game, the lower seed host the second game, before returning, if necessary, to the higher seed’s venue for the pivotal final game.
Audi 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs Conference Semifinals (Saturday, December 5 – Sunday, December 6)
Following the excitement of the Best-of-3 Series, the single-elimination win-or-go-home Conference Semifinals will be contested on Saturday, December 5, and Sunday, December 6. MLS regular season play is key as each of the four matches are hosted by the team with the better regular-season record.
Audi 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs Conference Finals (Friday, December 11 – Saturday, December 12)
A berth to 2026 MLS Cup presented by Audi will be up for grabs on Friday, December 11 and Saturday, December 12 as the Eastern and Western Conference Finals will determine who competes for 2026 MLS Cup.
2026 MLS Cup presented by Audi (Friday, December 18)
The postseason culminates with a historic 2026 MLS Cup presented by Audi taking place in primetime on Friday, December 18. Hosting rights will be awarded to the finalist that finished higher in the Supporters’ Shield standings at the conclusion of the regular season. 2026 MLS Cup presented by Audi marks the last time the marquee match will take place in December before the league’s historic shift to a summer-spring calendar.
In addition to becoming 2026 MLS Cup presented by Audi champion, the winner will receive a bye in the 2027 Concacaf Champions Cup and begin play in the Round of 16, and represent MLS in the 2027 Michelob ULTRA Campeones Cup.
Every Postseason Game on Apple TV
Fans in over 100 countries around the world can watch every match of the Audi 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs as well as 2026 MLS Cup presented by Audi on Apple TV. All matches will feature commentary in English and Spanish, and select matches may also be available with commentary in French. Fans in the U.S. and Canada will also have the option to select their home team’s radio for broadcast audio on the Apple TV app where available. MLS matches are available on the Apple TV app on Apple devices, Android devices, smart TVs, streaming devices, set-top boxes, and game consoles, as well as on DIRECTV, Xfinity, and at tv.apple.com.
MLS Cup presented by Audi, as well as select playoff games, will also be available on FOX and FOX Deportes in the U.S., and TSN and RDS in Canada.
The complete Audi 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs bracket and broadcast details will be announced once finalized.
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