MLS Plots More Format Tweaks To Maximize Postseason TV Revenues

BusinessSportsMoneyMLS Plots More Format Tweaks To Maximize Postseason TV RevenuesByJohn Cassillo, Contributor. Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. L.A.-based lead analyst at The Measure, covering the data behind sports media topics.Follow AuthorAug 20, 2026, 04:50pm EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.SummaryMajor League Soccer is reportedly planning significant playoff format changes, moving away from current conference alignments to a single table with five geographic divisions for scheduling. The proposed postseason would expand to 20 teams, up from 18, and feature a double-elimination tournament running from late April into May. This new system, potentially inspired by the Australian Football League's model with a wildcard round, aims to increase fan engagement and secure a more lucrative media rights deal as the current Apple TV contract concludes in 2029. MLS seeks to capitalize on growing soccer interest, mirroring other leagues' playoff expansions to boost revenue and attract top talent, despite concerns about regular season relevance. Show More FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 06: Lionel Messi #10 of Inter Miami CF lifts the Champion's trophy after winning the Audi 2025 MLS Cup Final match between Inter Miami CF and Vancouver Whitecaps FC at Chase Stadium on December 06, 2025 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. (Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images)Getty ImagesMajor League Soccer has never been shy about tweaking its playoff format. In just 31 years, the league has adjusted its postseason structure more than seven times, with each iteration adding teams, games or both. Now, with MLS on the precipice of larger shifts in terms of team finances, its calendar adjustment and another TV negotiation in the coming years, it appears more playoff changes are coming. On Thursday, The Guardian’s Pablo Iglesias Maurer reported numerous details around the potential MLS and postseason restructure. The most notable among those was the elimination of the current Eastern and Western conference alignments in favor of a (previously rumored) single table that would have teams bucketed into five geographically-aligned divisions for scheduling purposes. But for the playoffs, the plan – as reported by The Guardian – seems to be 20 teams (up from the current 18) and a double-elimination tournament that lasts across late April and into May. MORE FOR YOUPlayoff Format ComparisonThe current playoff structure, in place since 2023 in part because of the league’s move to Apple TV, has included 18 teams (60% of teams). In each conference, the No. 8 and No. 9 seeds compete in a one-game playoff to advance to the quarterfinals to face the top seed. Those quarterfinals are best-of-three, before turning into single elimination for the ensuing rounds. If the proposed playoff idea follows the Australian Football League model (cited in The Guardian’s reporting), the new MLS system would feature an eight-team wildcard round to determine the final four seeds in the round of 16. The AFL recently added the “wildcard round” to expand its playoffs from six teams to 10 (out of 18 clubs). With 30 teams, MLS is looking to effectively create the same bracket, but doubling the teams (rewarding two-thirds of the league with a playoff bid). MLS wouldn’t be the first U.S.-based league to create a play-in round like this. The NBA instituted one in 2020, and March Madness has featured play-in games since expanding to 68 teams in 2011. What’s unique for Major League Soccer is that it (if the proposal goes through) would also feature a double-elimination component, much like the AFL, or the NCAA’s College World Series. In that format – again, if strictly following the AFL model – teams that won in the round of 16 would skip ahead to await the winners of the losers’ bracket. While far from simple (a theme for MLS postseasons), the potential new playoff system could create significant drama and intrigue, plus more high-leverage games for MLS to sell to its next media rights holder(s). EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - JULY 19: Mikel Merino #6 of Spain celebrates the World Cup champions after the team's 1-0 victory in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final match between Spain and Argentina at New York New Jersey Stadium on July 19, 2026 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Hannah Peters - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)FIFA via Getty ImagesRunning the NCAA Tournament Playbook (Again)This summer’s FIFA Men’s World Cup recorded record ratings (and revenues) while growing the field of participants to 48 and taking on characteristics of the immensely popular NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament in the U.S. The expanded 2026 World Cup was such a success, in fact, that FIFA wants to see the 2030 event feature 64 teams. Such a move would buoy record-breaking media agreements and ad revenues for FIFA, much like the majority of U.S. sports have seen in this recent era of widespread postseason expansion from the NBA, NFL, MLB and college sports. Naturally, MLS wants in on that excitement too, especially with a new TV deal coming as its Apple deal concludes early, in June 2029. And if fans can actually follow along with the a novel new format like this, it could check numerous boxes: Increase the number of fan bases with a postseason interest, pique casual viewer curiosity, entice a more lucrative deal from new TV partners, and perhaps as a byproduct of losers bracket, attempt to reward top teams more than it currently does. There’s a danger in the expanded field as well, in that it could render the regular season (currently 34 games) less meaningful. U.S. college sports already deal with this, but also have fewer common opponents. MLB, meanwhile, has common opponents and a 162-game slate, yet introduced more randomness in recent years with a 12-team field. Translating Into RevenuesMLS has already expanded its league into an era of parity as it is, with 10 new teams since 2017 and five different champions over the last five seasons (and eight different teams in the last nine). With that bandaid already ripped off, the focus shifts to how to maximize that parity-driven postseason in ways that can drive revenues and interest beyond the $250 million Apple pays annually today. Aside from international tournaments and the UEFA Champions League, soccer playoffs are relatively novel for U.S. audiences. But MLS does not feature the same quality of play as those events. So it’s sensible to try something new to make these playoffs garner attention. Given what would be assumed as increased soccer interest in the country post-World Cup, MLS will still have to contend with a crowded portion of the calendar (including direct intersection with the aforementioned Champions League). Even so, more teams and more elimination games for the playoffs could help it run past the $250 million mark en route to something more akin to the English Premier League’s $450 million-per-year deal that it signed with NBC back in 2021. Achieving those marks would be a significant boost for MLS as the league pushes to escalate its spending ability to attract higher-end talent. Editorial StandardsReprints & PermissionsLOADING VIDEO PLAYER...FORBES’ FEATURED VideoExplore Topic