The road to the 2025 MLS Cup final is set – but not after some final regular-season drama.

Saturday night’s Decision Day slate answered the remaining questions in the standings across the Eastern and Western Conference, yielding a number of enticing first-round matchups and playoff bracket that will kick off following Wednesday night’s wild card play-in games.

In the Eastern Conference, all of the playoff places had been claimed prior to Decision Day, with the Philadelphia Union also seizing the Supporters’ Shield with a match to spare. All that was left to sort was the jockeying for seeding, home-field advantage and avoiding the one-off wild card round between the 8 and 9 seeds. When the dust settled, the result was a bracket featuring plenty of intrigue.

FC Cincinnati’s reward for a second-place finish is a date with Hell Is Real rivalry foe Columbus, while Inter Miami and Lionel Messi will renew pleasantries with Nashville SC also on that side of the bracket after playing against each other on Decision Day. Nashville was left reeling by a Messi hat trick in the regular season finale, while Miami also has bragging rights over Nashville after their 2023 Leagues Cup final thriller. The 4-5 matchup will pit Charlotte FC against NYCFC, but the better side will be shorthanded for the first match of their best-of-three series, with Wilfried Zaha’s red card in the regular season closer against Philly resulting in a one-game ban.

In the West, four teams vying for two unclaimed playoff places took the spotlight, but it was the two that entered the night in those places who walked away with them – albeit hardly in straightforward fashion. Shorthanded FC Dallas climbed out of the wild card places and into the No. 7 seed with a 2-1 win at 10-man Vancouver, while Portland’s humiliating 4-0 home defeat to San Diego FC sent the club tumbling into the wild card round.

So in the 8-9 game, it’ll be the Timbers hosting Real Salt Lake, who ran out to an early lead and then held on for dear life to draw St. Louis City to secure the West’s last playoff berth. The two will play for the right to face top-seeded San Diego, which set the MLS record for wins and points in an expansion season and pipped Thomas Müller’s Whitecaps for the No. 1 seed by virtue of Saturday night’s results. Instead of sitting atop the conference, the ‘Caps, who welcomed Ryan Gauld back from injury off the bench, will have a rematch with Dallas in the first round.

Elsewhere, Austin FC’s playoff-worst attack (37 goals all season) will have to find the firepower to keep up with LAFC’s dynamic Son Heung-min/Denis Bouanga duo (should Vancouver and LAFC advance, marquee summer signings Müller and Son would go head-to-head in the conference semifinals), while Minnesota United will have home-field advantage against reigning Leagues Cup winner Seattle. The Sounders were the only Western Conference team already locked into their seeding entering Saturday night (No. 5), but that didn’t stop them from going to New York and claiming a 2-1 win over NYCFC.

MLS Cup will be held on Dec. 6 – the day after the 2026 World Cup draw in Washington, D.C. – at the home of the finalist with the better regular-season record.

Here’s the road to getting there (Round One schedule will be played between Oct. 24 and Nov. 9; full fixture list below):

Eastern Conference matchups, bracket

1. Philadelphia Union (66 points) vs. Winner of 8. Chicago Fire (53) vs 9. Orlando City (53) wild card

4. Charlotte FC (59) vs. 5. NYCFC (56)

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2. FC Cincinnati (65) vs. 7. Columbus Crew (54)

3. Inter Miami (65) vs. 6. Nashville SC (54)

ELIMINATED: New York Red Bulls (43), New England Revolution (36), Toronto FC (32), CF Montréal (28), Atlanta United (28), D.C. United (26)

Western Conference matchups, bracket

1. San Diego FC (63 points) vs. Winner of 8. Portland Timbers (44) vs. 9. Real Salt Lake (41) wild card

4. Minnesota United (58) vs. 5. Seattle Sounders (55)

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2. Vancouver Whitecaps (63) vs. 7. FC Dallas (44)

3. LAFC (60) vs. No. 6. Austin FC (47)

ELIMINATED: San Jose Earthquakes (41), Colorado Rapids (41), Houston Dynamo (37), St. Louis City SC (31), LA Galaxy (30), Sporting Kansas City (28)

MLS playoff schedule

Wild card matches: Wednesday, Oct. 22

8:30 p.m. ET: Chicago Fire vs. Orlando City

10:30 p.m. ET: Portland Timbers vs. Real Salt Lake

First round (best of three): Oct. 24-Nov. 9

Game One

Oct. 24, 8 p.m. ET: Inter Miami vs. Nashville SC

Oct. 26, 5:30 p.m. ET: Philadelphia Union vs. Chicago/Orlando

Oct. 26, 7:30 p.m. ET: Vancouver Whitecaps vs. FC Dallas

Oct. 26, 9:30 p.m. ET: San Diego FC vs. Portland/Salt Lake

Oct. 27, 6:45 p.m. ET: FC Cincinnati vs Columbus Crew

Oct. 27, 9 p.m. ET: Minnesota United vs. Seattle Sounders

Oct. 28, 6:45 p.m. ET: Charlotte FC vs. New York City FC

Oct. 29, 10:30 p.m. ET: LAFC vs. Austin FC

Game Two

Nov. 1, 3:30 p.m. ET: New York City FC vs. Charlotte FC

Nov. 1, 5:30 p.m. ET: Chicago/Orlando vs. Philadelphia Union

Nov. 1, 7:30 p.m. ET: Nashville SC vs. Inter Miami

Nov. 1, 9:30 p.m. ET: FC Dallas vs. Vancouver Whitecaps

Nov. 1, 9:30 p.m. ET: Portland/Salt Lake vs. San Diego FC

Nov. 2, 6:30 p.m. ET: Columbus Crew vs. FC Cincinnati

Nov. 2, 8:30 p.m. ET: Austin FC vs. LAFC

Nov. 3, 10:30 p.m. ET: Seattle Sounders vs. Minnesota United

Game Three (if necessary)

Nov. 7, TBD: Charlotte FC vs. New York City FC

Nov. 7, TBD: Vancouver Whitecaps vs. FC Dallas

Nov. 8, TBD: Philadelphia Union vs. Chicago/Orlando

Nov. 8, TBD: FC Cincinnati vs. Columbus Crew

Nov. 8, TBD: Inter Miami vs. Nashville SC

Nov. 8, TBD: LAFC vs. Austin FC

Nov. 8, TBD: Minnesota United vs. Seattle Sounders

Nov. 9, TBD: San Diego vs. Portland/Salt Lake

Conference semifinals (one match): Nov. 22-23

Conference finals (one match): Nov. 29-30

MLS Cup: Dec. 6, 2:30 p.m. ET