How Many Games Do MLS Teams Play in a Season?

The number of games MLS teams play each year depends on whether they qualify for the playoffs and how far they advance.

Messi has a jam-packed calendar in MLS. | Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images

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.

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How Many Games Do MLS Teams Play in a Season?

The MLS season is long and arduous. | Simon Fearn-Imagn Images

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.

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MLS Eastern Conference Teams

New York Red Bulls play at the Sports Illustrated Stadium. | John Jones-Imagn Images

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

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MLS Western Conference Teams

San Diego FC are MLS’s newest team. | Chadd Cady-Imagn Images

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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