What To Know About The Audi 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs

With the drama of Decision Day having come and gone, LAFC is once again in the playoffs. The Black & Gold qualified for the postseason for the sixth time in the club's seven seasons on the pitch and for the second time as the West's No. 1 seed in the last three years.

Having already claimed one trophy this season (the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup), LAFC is aiming for a return to MLS Cup for a third straight year - a feat that would tie the MLS record for consecutive MLS Cup Finals a team has played in.

Let's take a look at the playoff path the Black & Gold will have to navigate in order to earn yet another shot at writing a page in the history books.

How many teams make the playoffs?

Overall, 18 teams qualify – the top 9 from the Eastern Conference and the top 9 from the Western Conference.

• Seeds 1-7 in each conference automatically qualify for the Round One Best-of-3 series.
• Seeds 8-9 in each conference qualify for the Wild Card matches.

What are the playoff rounds/dates?

Four rounds follow the Wild Card matches, ending with MLS Cup presented by Audi on December 7. Hosting rights for the Final are awarded to the finalist with the best regular-season record, meaning LAFC could host IF both Miami and Columbus (the onlt two teams with better regular season records) are eliminated.

Audi 2024 MLS Playoffs format

Wild Card

• Two single-game elimination matches hosted by the higher seed (Eastern Conference No. 8 vs. No. 9; Western Conference No. 8 vs. No. 9).
• If the score of a Wild Card game is tied at the end of regulation, no extra time will be played. There will immediately be a penalty kick shootout to determine the winner.
• The winner of each Wild Card match will advance to the Round One Best-of-3 series to face the conference No. 1 seed.

Round One Best-of-3 Series (16-24 games)

• Every Round One game will have a winner; no ties, no aggregate score.
• The matches will be hosted in a home-away-home format:
  • Match 1: higher seed hosts
  • Match 2: lower seed hosts
  • Match 3: higher seed hosts
• If a match is tied at the end of regulation, no extra time will be played. Teams will participate in kicks from the penalty spot to determine the winner.
• The first team to win two matches will advance.
• Four teams from each conference will advance to the Conference Semifinals.
  • Eastern Conference Round One Best-of-3 Series
    • No. 1 vs. No. 8 or 9
    • No. 2 vs. No. 7
    • No. 3 vs. No. 6
    • No. 4 vs. No. 5
  • Western Conference Round One Best-of-3 Series
    • No. 1 vs. No. 8 or 9
    • No. 2 vs. No. 7
    • No. 3 vs. No. 6
    • No. 4 vs. No. 5

Conference Semifinals (4 games)

• Single-elimination matches, hosted by the higher seed.
• If the score of a Conference Semifinal game is tied at the end of regulation, two 15-minute extra time periods will be played in their entirety. If the score is still tied at the end of the two extra time periods, teams will determine the winner via a penalty kick shootout.
• Conference Semifinal winners will advance to the Conference Final.
  • Eastern Conference Semifinals
    • Winner of No. 1 vs. No. 8/9 series vs. winner of No. 4 vs. No. 5 series
    • Winner of No. 3 vs. No. 6 series vs. winner of No. 2 vs. No. 7 series
  • Western Conference Semifinals
    • Winner of No. 1 vs. No. 8/9 series vs. winner of No. 4 vs. No. 5 series
    • Winner of No. 3 vs. No. 6 series vs. winner of No. 2 vs. No. 7 series

Conference Finals (2 games)

• Single-elimination match hosted by the higher seed.
• If the score of a Conference Final game is tied at the end of regulation, two 15-minute extra time periods will be played in their entirety. If the score is still tied at the end of the two extra time periods, teams will participate in kicks from the penalty spot to determine the winner.
• The winner of each Conference Final match will advance to MLS Cup presented by Audi.
  • Eastern Conference Final: highest advancing seed vs. lowest advancing seed
  • Western Conference Final: highest advancing seed vs. lowest advancing seed

MLS Cup presented by Audi (1 game)

• A single match hosted by the higher seed.
• If the score of the game is tied at the end of regulation, two 15-minute extra time periods will be played in their entirety. If the score is still tied at the end of the two extra time periods, teams will participate in kicks from the penalty spot to determine the winner.
• MLS Cup presented by Audi: Eastern Conference Champion vs. Western Conference Champion