Inter Miami CF star Lionel Messi has brought a massive audience to Major League Soccer. For soccer fans across the globe following Messi’s historic quest for an MLS Cup, it does not take long to notice MLS operates differently compared to other leagues around the world.
The format of the MLS Cup Playoffs is one example. It changed as recently as 2023, when the postseason expanded to 18 teams by adding two wild card matches and adopted a new, best-of-three series format in the first round.
Messi and Inter Miami are scheduled to face FC Cincinnati at 5 p.m. ET on Sunday at TQL Stadium. The most important thing for viewers on Apple TV to know is that the Eastern Conference semifinal match is single-elimination format. This marks a key change from Inter Miami’s first round series win against Nashville SC.
The opening round of the Eastern Conference playoffs saw 2025 Golden Boot winner Messi score five goals across three matches against Nashville. In the best-of-three format, the goal difference and aggregate scores were not considered, only the final result.
Inter Miami won the first match 3-1 on Oct. 24, but their opponents leveled the series with a 2-1 win on Nov. 1. With the series tied at 1-1, Inter Miami won the decisive third match 4-0 on Nov. 8 to advance and avoid a repeat of the shocking first-round upset they suffered to Atlanta United in 2024.
Inter Miami is now three wins away from lifting the MLS Cup. Starting in the quarterfinal — also called the conference semifinal — all matches are one-leg, single-elimination format, similar to the World Cup knockout stage. If the score is tied after regulation, a winner is decided via extra time and a penalty shootout, if necessary.
Matchups follow the bracket set for each conference at the beginning of the playoffs, based on the regular season standings. Each match is hosted by the team that finished higher in the regular season standings. The winners of the Eastern Conference playoffs and the Western Conference playoffs will meet in the MLS Cup Final on Saturday, Dec. 6.
