Major League Soccer is preparing a major overhaul of its playoff format from 2028, according to multiple league and club sources, expanding the postseason to as many as 20 teams and introducing a "double-elimination" round. The change would coincide with the league's planned switch to a fall-to-spring calendar and a shift from its current two-conference structure to five divisions, replacing years of criticism over the existing mishmash of best-of-three and single-elimination matches introduced in 2023.

Under the proposed system, all clubs would be ranked in a single combined table rather than split by division, with the top 20 qualifying for the postseason. Eight teams would contest a play-in round to produce a 16-team field, while the top eight in the table would compete in a double-elimination stage, with teams reseeded after every round to reward higher finishers. The playoffs would run for roughly three weeks from late April, with MLS Cup slated for 21 May 2028; the format closely resembles the AFL's long-standing "double-chance" system, and MLS has reportedly held talks with the Australian league about it. MLS declined to comment, and the plans come as incoming commissioner Larry Berg, currently an LAFC co-owner, prepares to take over from Don Garber next year.