MLS NEXT Pro Enters the Playoffs: 16 Teams, a New Format and the Race for the Cup

The 2026 MLS NEXT Pro regular season is officially in the books, and the race for the MLS NEXT Pro Cup is about to enter a completely different stage.

After 420 regular-season matches, the league’s playoff field is beginning to take shape, with 16 teams still alive in the competition. This year’s postseason will feature a new element for the first time in league history, as a Play-in Round will determine the final playoff spot in each conference before the main bracket gets underway. 

Austin FC II enters the postseason with the best record in MLS NEXT Pro. The Texas side finished the regular season with 65 points from 28 matches, going 19-3-6, while conceding just 21 goals — the fewest in the league. Austin also finished with a league-best +33 goal differential and returns to the postseason after missing out in both 2024 and 2025. The club previously won the MLS NEXT Pro Cup in 2023.

Portland Timbers2 finished second in the Western Conference with 57 points, followed by Ventura County FC with 53 and Houston Dynamo 2 with 52. MNUFC2, LAFC 2 and St. Louis CITY2 completed the automatic playoff qualifiers, while San Jose Earthquakes II and Tacoma Defiance will meet in the Western Conference Play-in.

The Eastern Conference produced a similarly competitive race. Crown Legacy FC claimed the top seed with 58 points, edging Chattanooga FC, which finished on 56. Atlanta United 2, Columbus Crew 2, New England Revolution II, New York City FC II and Connecticut United FC also secured automatic playoff berths. Red Bull New York II and Huntsville City FC will battle for the final Eastern Conference spot in the Play-in Round. 

Crown Legacy arrives with one of the league’s most productive attacks. The Charlotte affiliate scored 67 goals during the regular season, the highest total in MLS NEXT Pro, while finishing with a +28 goal differential. Nathan Richmond contributed nine goals and 10 assists, while Hugo Mbongue added 14 goals in his first season with the club. 

The postseason will also feature several of the league’s most productive individual players. Atlanta United 2 forward Arif Kovac captured the Golden Boot after scoring 20 goals, tying the second-highest single-season total in MLS NEXT Pro history. His teammate Cameron Dunbar won Playmaker of the Year after registering 13 assists, matching the league record. Atlanta finished third in the Eastern Conference and will make its first-ever MLS NEXT Pro playoff appearance.

Kovac’s season was particularly notable. The 20-year-old scored five goals and added an assist in a single match against Huntsville City FC earlier in the campaign, setting a league record for goal contributions in one game. He finished the regular season with 23 total goal contributions, while Dunbar recorded 22. 

Chattanooga FC will also enter the postseason with plenty of momentum. The independent club finished second in the East with 56 points and set a new team record for regular-season wins. Forward Alex Krehl finished just behind Kovac in the Golden Boot race with 18 goals, while Chattanooga’s 15 victories were tied for the most in the Eastern Conference. 

But the road to the MLS NEXT Pro Cup will look different this year.

Seven teams from each conference automatically qualified for the playoffs: the two division champions plus the next five teams with the most points. The No. 8 and No. 9 seeds must now meet in a single-elimination Play-in match, with the winner taking the No. 8 seed in the conference bracket. 

The Play-in matches are scheduled for October 9-11, with Red Bull New York hosting Huntsville City FC in the East and San Jose Earthquakes II hosting Tacoma Defiance in the West. The winners will advance into the main playoff field.

Then comes one of MLS NEXT Pro’s most distinctive traditions: Pick-Your-Opponent.

The format returns for a fourth consecutive season. In the Conference Quarterfinals, the top three seeds in each conference will select their opponents from the lower-seeded teams, while the No. 4 seed will face the remaining club. The same concept will be used again in the Conference Semifinals. 

The quarterfinals will take place from October 16-18, followed by the Conference Semifinals from October 23-25. The Conference Finals are scheduled for October 30-November 1, before the MLS NEXT Pro Cup takes place November 6-8.

The championship will be hosted by the finalist with the highest regular-season points total, adding another reward for teams that performed consistently over the course of the season. 

Now, a new champion will emerge.

With Austin FC II bringing the league’s best regular-season record, Crown Legacy leading the East’s attack, Chattanooga arriving with one of its strongest seasons yet, and a collection of emerging players looking to turn MLS NEXT Pro success into opportunities at the MLS level, the 2026 playoffs promise to be another important stage in the development pathway.

And with the first-ever Play-in Round followed by the return of Pick-Your-Opponent, the road to the MLS NEXT Pro Cup will be anything but conventional.