Double chance and a bigger field aimed at regular-season jeopardy

MLS is close to approving a major postseason overhaul that would grow the playoffs from 16 to 20 teams and introduce a two-tiered bracket with a "double chance" for the league’s highest regular-season finishers, The Athletic reported.

Commissioner Larry Berg, speaking at his introductory news conference, said promotion and relegation remains off the table, but the league is seeking other ways to replicate the jeopardy pro/rel creates.

"The great thing about promotion and relegation for fans is the jeopardy is quite severe. But I think there are other ways to create jeopardy during the regular season, to get into the playoffs (and) during the playoffs, to get to the next round. In the World Cup, we all enjoy knockout games after the group stage. I call those ‘games of consequence’ or ‘games of jeopardy.’ And I think that’s what we’re more focused on than specifically relegation."

Berg acknowledged MLS’s problem: regular-season matches often feel inconsequential while playoff games are competitive and entertaining. The task, he said, is to change the equation so stakes feel present on the day, not only in hindsight.

How the proposed format would work

The structure, first reported by The Athletic in November 2025 and later detailed by The Guardian, has not yet been formally voted on. It would combine a divisional and single-table regular season:

• Winners of the regional divisions automatically qualify as top-12 seeds.
• Overall seeding is otherwise determined by the single-table standings.

The playoffs would split into an upper and lower bracket.

The top eight teams in the single-table would enter the upper bracket, with the top four holding home-field advantage. They play single-elimination games, with winners advancing straight to the quarterfinals and losers receiving a "double chance" to drop down rather than being eliminated.

Simultaneously, teams ranked 13-20 would play single-elimination play-in games. Winners re-seed and face the 9-12 seeds. Those winners then meet the losers from the upper bracket. Survivors advance to the quarterfinals, from which point the tournament is single elimination through MLS Cup.

The league argues the tiered benefits — top four, top eight, top 12, top 16, top 20 — give tangible rewards for every regular-season position and allow re-seeding to preserve home-field advantage, which matters in a continental league with significant travel.

Selling complexity to fans

Critics note the expansion to 20 teams appears counter to the goal of making the regular season matter more, and the format is difficult to follow. MLS will need significant storytelling investment across its Apple TV production, website and media partners to explain why finishing fourth versus sixth, or eighth versus ninth, matters.

The timing also coincides with ongoing concerns about engagement. The league has simplified roster rules for transparency and better roster building, but it continues to pause league play for Leagues Cup, a MLS-Liga MX competition created four years ago. The top three Leagues Cup teams earn Concacaf Champions Cup berths, the same prize as top MLS finishers.

Berg said the changes are intended to move the league forward: "The good news is I do think the things we’re thinking about certainly will move our league forward. Make it entertaining, make it interesting."

The plan represents a big bet as MLS chases audiences in an increasingly crowded soccer market. Whether fans will feel consequence in August and September matches, or only recognize it in hindsight, remains the central question.