2024 MLS Cup playoffs
The 2024 MLS Cup playoffs was the post-season championship of Major League Soccer, the top soccer league in the United States and Canada. It was the 29th edition of the MLS Cup playoffs, the tournament culminating at the end of the 2024 season. The playoffs began on October 22 and concluded with MLS Cup 2024 on December 7.
The Columbus Crew entered the playoffs as the defending MLS Cup champions, but were eliminated by the New York Red Bulls in round one. Inter Miami CF entered as Supporters' Shield winners and Eastern Conference regular season leaders; they were eliminated in round one by Atlanta United FC. Western Conference regular season leaders Los Angeles FC were eliminated in the conference semifinals by Seattle Sounders FC.
The LA Galaxy won a record-extending sixth MLS Cup title after defeating the New York Red Bulls 2–1. The LA Galaxy broke the record for the most goals in a playoff campaign with 18 goals.
Format
Similar to the 2023 edition, the playoffs featured a field of eighteen teams—the top nine teams from each conference. The top seven teams in each conference automatically qualified for round one, while the eighth and ninth-placed teams in each conference contested a single wild card match for the right to play the best-ranked team in their conference, with only a penalty shoot-out occurring if the game was tied. Round one comprised a best-of-three format, with higher seeds playing against lower seeds. The round did not have the aggregate score kept, and tied matches proceeded directly to a penalty shoot-out to determine the winner. The remaining three rounds — the conference semifinals, the conference final, and MLS Cup — were single-elimination matches played with extra time and a penalty shoot-out if still tied. The team with the better regular season record hosted the match in all rounds except for the best-of-three series in round one, where the team with the lower regular season record hosted the second of three possible matches. All matches were broadcast globally on MLS Season Pass, a streaming service operated by Apple.Qualified teams
The playoffs were contested by eighteen teams. The date listed indicates when each team qualified for the playoffs.;Eastern Conference
- Atlanta United FC
- Charlotte FC
- FC Cincinnati
- Columbus Crew
- Inter Miami CF
- CF Montréal
- New York City FC
- New York Red Bulls
- Orlando City SC
- Colorado Rapids
- Houston Dynamo FC
- LA Galaxy
- Los Angeles FC
- Minnesota United
- Portland Timbers
- Real Salt Lake
- Seattle Sounders FC
- Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Conference standings
Eastern Conference'''Western Conference'''
Bracket
The higher seeded teams hosted single-elimination matches, with the MLS Cup host determined by overall points in the Supporters' Shield table. During the best-of-three round, the team with higher seed hosted the first match and the third match if necessary.Round one
Eastern Conference
Atlanta United FC won the series 2–1.----
New York Red Bulls won the series 2–0.
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New York City FC won the series 2–1.
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''Orlando City SC won the series 2–1.''
Western Conference
Los Angeles FC won the series 2–1.----
LA Galaxy won the series 2–0.
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Minnesota United FC won the series 2–0.
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''Seattle Sounders FC won the series 2–0.''