Round One Best-of-3 Series explained: Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs | OneFootball

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·23 October 2025

Round One Best-of-3 Series explained: Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs

Article image:Round One Best-of-3 Series explained: Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs

By MLSsoccer staff

With the Wild Card games decided, the Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs continue with eight Round One Best-of-3 Series.

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The Round One Best-of-3 Series span from Friday, October 24 until Sunday, November 9.

MLS Season Pass on Apple TV will broadcast every match.

Who plays?

The top seven teams from each conference automatically qualified for the Round One Best-of-3 Series, followed by the Wild Card match winners.

All 16 teams participating in Round One get at least one home game in the series. The first team to win two matches advances. Four teams from each conference will advance to the Conference Semifinals.

Eastern Conference Round One Best-of-3 Series

  1. No. 1 Philadelphia Union vs. No. 8 Chicago Fire FC
  2. No. 2 FC Cincinnati vs. No. 7 Columbus Crew
  3. No. 3 Inter Miami CF vs. No. 6 Nashville SC
  4. No. 4 Charlotte FC vs. No. 5 New York City FC

Western Conference Round One Best-of-3 Series

  1. No. 1 San Diego FC vs. No. 8 Portland Timbers
  2. No. 2 Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. No. 7 FC Dallas
  3. No. 3 LAFC vs. No. 6 Austin FC
  4. No. 4 Minnesota United FC vs. No. 5 Seattle Sounders FC

How does it work?

Home-away-home format:

  1. Game 1: higher seed hosts
  2. Game 2: lower seed hosts
  3. Game 3 (if necessary): higher seed hosts

Win-only: Every Round One game will have a winner; no ties, no aggregate score.

PK shootout: If a match is tied after regulation time (90 minutes), no extra time will be played. Teams will participate in kicks from the penalty spot to determine the winner.

Best-of-3: The first team to win two matches will advance. Conversely, the loser's playoff journey will end.

What's next?

The winner of each Round One Best-of-3 series advances to the Conference Semifinals, which will be held November 22-23.

If a Conference Semifinal game is tied after regulation time (90 minutes), two 15-minute extra time periods will be played in their entirety. If the score is still tied after two extra time periods, a winner will be determined via a penalty kick shootout.

Eastern Conference Semifinals

  1. Winner of No. 1 vs. No. 8 series vs. winner of No. 4 vs. No. 5 series
  2. Winner of No. 3 vs. No. 6 series vs. winner of No. 2 vs. No. 7 series

Western Conference Semifinals

  1. Winner of No. 1 vs. No. 8 series vs. winner of No. 4 vs. No. 5 series
  2. Winner of No. 3 vs. No. 6 series vs. winner of No. 2 vs. No. 7 series

When is MLS Cup?

Date: MLS Cup presented by Audi is set for December 6.

Hosting: Hosting rights are awarded to the finalist with the better regular-season record. If both finalists have the same amount of regular-season points, the team with more wins – or if they're tied in that category, better goal difference – will host MLS Cup.

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