Summary
Major League Soccer (USA1) is currently comprised of 30 clubs, 27 from the United States and 3 from Canada (Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver). At the end of the 2026 regular season, the USA1 teams listed below qualify for the following non-league play:
- 2027 CONCACAF Champions Cup (CNCFCL) Round of 16:
- 2026 USA1 MLS Cup champion
- 2027 CONCACAF Champions Cup (CNCFCL) Round 1:
- 2026 USA1 MLS Eastern/Western Conference champion with the most points
- 2026 USA1 Supporter's Shield (Aggregate Table) champion (or USA1 non-MLS Cup champion with the most points)
- best and 2nd best 2026 USA1 Supporter's Shield (Aggregate Table) non-champions with the most points)
If one of the USA1 teams listed above wins the 2026 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup (USACUP1), the next best USA1 team without a 2026 CNCFCL berth will receive a Round 1 2026 CNCFCL berth.
Leagues Pyramid - United States
| Abbrev | League | # of Teams |
|---|---|---|
| USA1 | Major League Soccer | 30 |
| USA2 | USL Championship | 24 |
| USA3A | MLS Next Pro | 29 |
| USA3B | USL League One | 14 |
| USA3C | National Independent Soccer Assocation (NISA) | 9 |
Competition Structure
Season | # of Teams | ||
| Regular 21 Feb 2026 - 7 Nov 2026 | Playoffs 21 October 2026 - 6 Dec 2026 | 30: United States (27), Canada (3) | |
Season Format
Each team currently plays an "unbalanced" schedule of 34 regular season matches, with 28 Conference matches and 6 Nonconference matches. With the United States and Canada being very large countries, the current USA1 schedule cuts down on travel time and puts a premium on building regional rivalries. Conference standings and play-offs also nullifies any advantages/disadvantages that teams in one conference might have over another. Table ranking ties are broken by (1) total wins, (2) goal difference, (3) total goals scored, (4) disciplinary points, (5) away goals difference, (6) away goals scored, (7) home goals scored, (8) home goals difference, then (9) coin toss (2 clubs tied) or a draw (3 or more clubs tied).
Playoffs
The 2026 USA1 Playoffs start immediately after the 2026 USA1 Regular season. The Top 9 teams in each conference qualify for the Playoffs. In the Wild Card Round, the 8th and 9th place teams in each conference have a 1 match knockout match at the 8th place team's home venue. In Round One, from each conference the the 1st place team plays the Wild Card Round winner, the 2nd place team plays the 7th place team, the 3rd place team plays the 6th place team, and the 4th place team plays the 5th place team in "best of 3" matches. In the Conference Semifinals, the highest remaining seed hosts the lowest remaining seed, and the 2nd highest remaining seed host the 3rd highest remaining seed in Knockout matches. In each match, if it is still tied after regular time, two 15 minute overtime periods are played. If still tied after the overtime periods, penalty kicks are taken. The 2026 USA1 Cup Final is a single Championship match played at the Home field of the championship finalist with the most points acquired during the 2026 USA1 Regular season.
Relegation
There is no Promotion/Relegation between the USA1 and the USA2.
More Info...
Regular
| League | Home | Road | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POS | MP | W - D - L | PTS | CPTS | GF | GA | GD | MP | W - D - L | PTS | GF | GA | GD | MP | W - D - L | PTS | GF | GA | GD | |
| EASTERN | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Nashville SC | 13 | 9 -3-1 | 30 | - | 29 | 10 | 19 | 6 | 5 -1-0 | 16 | 21 | 8 | 13 | 7 | 4 -2-1 | 14 | 8 | 2 | 6 |
| 2 | Inter Miami CF | 14 | 8 -4-2 | 28 | - | 33 | 24 | 9 | 5 | 1 -3-1 | 6 | 10 | 9 | 1 | 9 | 7 -1-1 | 22 | 23 | 15 | 8 |
| 3 | New England | 13 | 8 -1-4 | 25 | - | 22 | 17 | 5 | 8 | 7 -0-1 | 21 | 17 | 7 | 10 | 5 | 1 -1-3 | 4 | 5 | 10 | -5 |
| 4 | Chicago Fire | 13 | 7 -2-4 | 23 | - | 25 | 15 | 10 | 7 | 4 -0-3 | 12 | 14 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 3 -2-1 | 11 | 11 | 7 | 4 |
| 5 | New York City FC | 14 | 5 -4-5 | 19 | - | 24 | 19 | 5 | 8 | 3 -2-3 | 11 | 19 | 13 | 6 | 6 | 2 -2-2 | 8 | 5 | 6 | -1 |
| 6 | New York Red Bull | 14 | 5 -4-5 | 19 | - | 23 | 31 | -8 | 7 | 3 -2-2 | 11 | 13 | 14 | -1 | 7 | 2 -2-3 | 8 | 10 | 17 | -7 |
| 7 | Charlotte FC | 14 | 5 -3-6 | 18 | - | 23 | 23 | 0 | 8 | 4 -2-2 | 14 | 17 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 1 -1-4 | 4 | 6 | 14 | -8 |
| 8 | DC United | 14 | 4 -5-5 | 17 | - | 17 | 21 | -4 | 6 | 2 -1-3 | 7 | 7 | 12 | -5 | 8 | 2 -4-2 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 1 |
| 9 | FC Cincinnati | 14 | 4 -5-5 | 17 | - | 30 | 35 | -5 | 6 | 3 -1-2 | 10 | 14 | 12 | 2 | 8 | 1 -4-3 | 7 | 16 | 23 | -7 |
| 10 | Toronto FC | 13 | 3 -5-5 | 14 | - | 21 | 27 | -6 | 9 | 2 -5-2 | 11 | 17 | 18 | -1 | 4 | 1 -0-3 | 3 | 4 | 9 | -5 |
| 11 | Orlando City SC | 14 | 4 -2-8 | 14 | - | 21 | 38 | -17 | 7 | 3 -1-3 | 10 | 14 | 13 | 1 | 7 | 1 -1-5 | 4 | 7 | 25 | -18 |
| 12 | Columbus Crew | 14 | 3 -4-7 | 13 | - | 19 | 23 | -4 | 6 | 2 -2-2 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 8 | 1 -2-5 | 5 | 12 | 17 | -5 |
| 13 | CF Montréal | 13 | 4 -1-8 | 13 | - | 18 | 27 | -9 | 6 | 3 -1-2 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 1 -0-6 | 3 | 8 | 20 | -12 |
| 14 | Atlanta United | 13 | 3 -2-8 | 11 | - | 14 | 21 | -7 | 8 | 2 -1-5 | 7 | 11 | 14 | -3 | 5 | 1 -1-3 | 4 | 3 | 7 | -4 |
| 15 | Philadelphia Union | 14 | 1 -4-9 | 7 | - | 14 | 24 | -10 | 6 | 0 -3-3 | 3 | 3 | 6 | -3 | 8 | 1 -1-6 | 4 | 11 | 18 | -7 |
| WESTERN | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Vancouver Whitecaps | 13 | 9 -2-2 | 29 | - | 30 | 10 | 20 | 8 | 7 -0-1 | 21 | 21 | 4 | 17 | 5 | 2 -2-1 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 3 |
| 2 | San Jose Earthquakes | 14 | 9 -2-3 | 29 | - | 31 | 14 | 17 | 7 | 4 -1-2 | 13 | 16 | 6 | 10 | 7 | 5 -1-1 | 16 | 15 | 8 | 7 |
| 3 | Real Salt Lake | 13 | 8 -1-4 | 25 | - | 25 | 18 | 7 | 8 | 7 -0-1 | 21 | 18 | 8 | 10 | 5 | 1 -1-3 | 4 | 7 | 10 | -3 |
| 4 | Seattle Sounders | 12 | 7 -3-2 | 24 | - | 17 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 4 -1-1 | 13 | 12 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 3 -2-1 | 11 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| 5 | FC Dallas | 14 | 6 -4-4 | 22 | - | 28 | 21 | 7 | 9 | 3 -4-2 | 13 | 18 | 16 | 2 | 5 | 3 -0-2 | 9 | 10 | 5 | 5 |
| 6 | Los Angeles FC | 14 | 6 -3-5 | 21 | - | 23 | 17 | 6 | 7 | 4 -1-2 | 13 | 14 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 2 -2-3 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 0 |
| 7 | Houston Dynamo | 13 | 7 -0-6 | 21 | - | 18 | 22 | -4 | 7 | 5 -0-2 | 15 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 2 -0-4 | 6 | 10 | 16 | -6 |
| 8 | Minnesota United | 14 | 6 -3-5 | 21 | - | 17 | 21 | -4 | 6 | 2 -2-2 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 4 -1-3 | 13 | 12 | 17 | -5 |
| 9 | LA Galaxy | 14 | 5 -4-5 | 19 | - | 21 | 21 | 0 | 6 | 2 -2-2 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 8 | 3 -2-3 | 11 | 12 | 14 | -2 |
| 10 | San Diego | 14 | 4 -5-5 | 17 | - | 28 | 23 | 5 | 8 | 3 -3-2 | 12 | 21 | 11 | 10 | 6 | 1 -2-3 | 5 | 7 | 12 | -5 |
| 11 | Colorado Rapids | 14 | 5 -1-8 | 16 | - | 24 | 22 | 2 | 5 | 3 -0-2 | 9 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 2 -1-6 | 7 | 10 | 15 | -5 |
| 12 | Portland Timbers | 13 | 4 -2-7 | 14 | - | 21 | 25 | -4 | 5 | 3 -1-1 | 10 | 13 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 1 -1-6 | 4 | 8 | 17 | -9 |
| 13 | Austin FC | 14 | 3 -5-6 | 14 | - | 19 | 28 | -9 | 7 | 3 -2-2 | 11 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 0 -3-4 | 3 | 10 | 22 | -12 |
| 14 | St Louis City SC | 13 | 3 -4-6 | 13 | - | 13 | 20 | -7 | 5 | 2 -1-2 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 8 | 1 -3-4 | 6 | 5 | 13 | -8 |
| 15 | Sporting KC | 13 | 3 -2-8 | 11 | - | 13 | 34 | -21 | 6 | 1 -2-3 | 5 | 8 | 12 | -4 | 7 | 2 -0-5 | 6 | 5 | 22 | -17 |
CNCFCL & Playoffs - Round One Playoffs - Round One Wild Card Round | ||||||||||||||||||||
Fixtures
 | Austin FC | Energizer Park |
 | Real Salt Lake | Alliannz Field (MN) |
 | Orlando City SC | TQL Stadium |
 | New England | Bank of America Stadium |
 | CF Montréal | Audi Field (DC) |
 | New York City FC | GEODIS Park |
 | Toronto FC | Soldier Field |
 | New York Red Bull | Children's Mercy Park |
 | Vancouver Whitecaps | Snapdragon Stadium |
 | FC Dallas | Dick's Sporting Goods Park |
 | San Jose Earthquakes | Providence Park |
 | Houston Dynamo | Dignity Health Sports Park |
 | Atlanta United | ScottsMiracle-Gro Field |
 | Philadelphia Union | Nu Stadium |
 | Seattle Sounders | BMO Stadium (LA) |
| Toronto FC | Stade Saputo |
| Vancouver Whitecaps | Soldier Field |
| Sporting KC | Energizer Park |
| Portland Timbers | Lumen Field |
| Atlanta United | GEODIS Park |
Results
| 32 | Los Angeles FC | GEODIS Park |
| 20 | Portland Timbers | Nu Stadium |
| 23 | FC Dallas | PayPal Park |
| 33 | FC Cincinnati | Snapdragon Stadium |
| 21 | Colorado Rapids | America First Field |
| 02 | LA Galaxy | Lumen Field |
| 12 | Sporting KC | Q2 Stadium |
| 10 | Vancouver Whitecaps | Shell Energy Stadium |
| 11 | St Louis City SC | Audi Field (DC) |
| 21 | Minnesota United | Gillette Stadium |
| 31 | Toronto FC | Bank of America Stadium |
| 11 | New York City FC | Sports Illustrated Stadium |
| 11 | Atlanta United | Inter&Co Stadium |
| 11 | Columbus Crew | Subaru Park |
| 02 | Chicago Fire | Stade Saputo |
| 30 | Houston Dynamo | America First Field |
| 32 | San Jose Earthquakes | Lumen Field |
| 01 | Colorado Rapids | Alliannz Field (MN) |
| 23 | Vancouver Whitecaps | Toyota Stadium (Frisco) |