Major League Soccer
USANorth America's top-flight football league.
30 teams • 510 matches • 2026 season
Standings
| # | Team | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Form |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Qualification |  Vancouver Whitecaps | 22 | 13 | 4 | 5 | 49 | 21 | +28 | 43 | LWWLW |
| 2Qualification |  Nashville SC | 23 | 16 | 5 | 2 | 47 | 17 | +30 | 53 | DWWWW |
| 3Qualification |  Inter Miami | 23 | 12 | 7 | 4 | 58 | 43 | +15 | 43 | DWLDL |
| 4Qualification |  Houston Dynamo | 23 | 12 | 4 | 7 | 30 | 26 | +4 | 40 | DDLWW |
| 5 |  Los Angeles FC | 24 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 38 | 24 | +14 | 37 | DDDLL |
| 6 |  Chicago Fire | 22 | 11 | 5 | 6 | 43 | 32 | +11 | 38 | DDDWW |
| 7 |  FC Dallas | 23 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 45 | 40 | +5 | 37 | WDLWW |
| 8 |  New England Revolution | 23 | 11 | 4 | 8 | 37 | 29 | +8 | 37 | LWDWL |
| 9 |  Charlotte | 23 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 40 | 32 | +8 | 36 | DWWDW |
| 10 |  St. Louis City | 23 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 36 | 31 | +5 | 37 | WDWDW |
| 11 |  San Jose Earthquakes | 23 | 10 | 5 | 8 | 40 | 34 | +6 | 35 | DDLLL |
| 12 |  FC Cincinnati | 22 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 49 | 51 | -2 | 31 | LDWDW |
| 13 |  Colorado Rapids | 23 | 10 | 1 | 12 | 31 | 31 | 0 | 31 | LWLWW |
| 14 |  New York City FC | 23 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 36 | 31 | +5 | 29 | DDDLL |
| 15 |  Portland Timbers | 23 | 9 | 4 | 10 | 44 | 43 | +1 | 31 | WLDWL |
| 16 |  Orlando City SC | 23 | 8 | 4 | 11 | 38 | 54 | -16 | 28 | WDWLD |
| 17 |  San Diego | 23 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 40 | 34 | +6 | 30 | LWWLW |
| 18 |  Philadelphia Union | 23 | 7 | 6 | 10 | 36 | 39 | -3 | 27 | WWDDW |
| 19 |  Real Salt Lake | 22 | 8 | 5 | 9 | 36 | 35 | +1 | 29 | DLLLD |
| 20 |  New York Red Bulls | 23 | 7 | 6 | 10 | 32 | 46 | -14 | 27 | DLDLL |
| 21 |  Minnesota United FC | 23 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 34 | 37 | -3 | 29 | LDWLD |
| 22 |  Toronto FC | 23 | 5 | 11 | 7 | 36 | 42 | -6 | 26 | DDWDW |
| 23 |  Los Angeles Galaxy | 24 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 30 | 36 | -6 | 29 | WLDWL |
| 24 |  DC United | 22 | 5 | 10 | 7 | 28 | 36 | -8 | 25 | DLLDD |
| 25 |  Columbus Crew | 23 | 6 | 5 | 12 | 34 | 39 | -5 | 23 | WLLLL |
| 26 |  Seattle Sounders | 22 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 24 | 29 | -5 | 27 | DDDLL |
| 27 |  Austin | 23 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 29 | 42 | -13 | 25 | DWDWL |
| 28Relegation |  Atlanta United FC | 23 | 6 | 4 | 13 | 27 | 40 | -13 | 22 | DLWWW |
| 29Relegation |  CF Montreal | 23 | 5 | 6 | 12 | 30 | 48 | -18 | 21 | LLDWD |
| 30Relegation |  Sporting Kansas City | 23 | 4 | 3 | 16 | 23 | 58 | -35 | 15 | LLLDL |
| P | W | D | L | GD | GF | Last 5 | PTS | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qualification | |||||||||
| 1 | Vancouver Whitecaps | 22 | 13 | 4 | 5 | +28 | 49 | LWWLW | 43 |
| 2 | Nashville SC | 23 | 16 | 5 | 2 | +30 | 47 | DWWWW | 53 |
| 3 | Inter Miami | 23 | 12 | 7 | 4 | +15 | 58 | DWLDL | 43 |
| 4 | Houston Dynamo | 23 | 12 | 4 | 7 | +4 | 30 | DDLWW | 40 |
| 5 | Los Angeles FC | 24 | 10 | 7 | 7 | +14 | 38 | DDDLL | 37 |
| 6 | Chicago Fire | 22 | 11 | 5 | 6 | +11 | 43 | DDDWW | 38 |
| 7 | FC Dallas | 23 | 10 | 7 | 6 | +5 | 45 | WDLWW | 37 |
| 8 | New England Revolution | 23 | 11 | 4 | 8 | +8 | 37 | LWDWL | 37 |
| 9 | Charlotte | 23 | 10 | 6 | 7 | +8 | 40 | DWWDW | 36 |
| 10 | St. Louis City | 23 | 10 | 7 | 6 | +5 | 36 | WDWDW | 37 |
| 11 | San Jose Earthquakes | 23 | 10 | 5 | 8 | +6 | 40 | DDLLL | 35 |
| 12 | FC Cincinnati | 22 | 8 | 7 | 7 | -2 | 49 | LDWDW | 31 |
| 13 | Colorado Rapids | 23 | 10 | 1 | 12 | 0 | 31 | LWLWW | 31 |
| 14 | New York City FC | 23 | 7 | 8 | 8 | +5 | 36 | DDDLL | 29 |
| 15 | Portland Timbers | 23 | 9 | 4 | 10 | +1 | 44 | WLDWL | 31 |
| 16 | Orlando City SC | 23 | 8 | 4 | 11 | -16 | 38 | WDWLD | 28 |
| 17 | San Diego | 23 | 8 | 6 | 9 | +6 | 40 | LWWLW | 30 |
| 18 | Philadelphia Union | 23 | 7 | 6 | 10 | -3 | 36 | WWDDW | 27 |
| 19 | Real Salt Lake | 22 | 8 | 5 | 9 | +1 | 36 | DLLLD | 29 |
| 20 | New York Red Bulls | 23 | 7 | 6 | 10 | -14 | 32 | DLDLL | 27 |
| 21 | Minnesota United FC | 23 | 7 | 8 | 8 | -3 | 34 | LDWLD | 29 |
| 22 | Toronto FC | 23 | 5 | 11 | 7 | -6 | 36 | DDWDW | 26 |
| 23 | Los Angeles Galaxy | 24 | 7 | 8 | 9 | -6 | 30 | WLDWL | 29 |
| 24 | DC United | 22 | 5 | 10 | 7 | -8 | 28 | DLLDD | 25 |
| 25 | Columbus Crew | 23 | 6 | 5 | 12 | -5 | 34 | WLLLL | 23 |
| 26 | Seattle Sounders | 22 | 7 | 6 | 9 | -5 | 24 | DDDLL | 27 |
| 27 | Austin | 23 | 6 | 7 | 10 | -13 | 29 | DWDWL | 25 |
| Relegation | |||||||||
| 28 | Atlanta United FC | 23 | 6 | 4 | 13 | -13 | 27 | DLWWW | 22 |
| 29 | CF Montreal | 23 | 5 | 6 | 12 | -18 | 30 | LLDWD | 21 |
| 30 | Sporting Kansas City | 23 | 4 | 3 | 16 | -35 | 23 | LLLDL | 15 |
Rules and legend
- Qualification
- Relegation
Upcoming matches
Regular Season - 24
CF Montreal-Charlotte-CharlotteDC United-Columbus Crew-Columbus CrewToronto FC-Nashville SC-Nashville SCAtlanta United FC-Orlando City SC-Orlando City SCPhiladelphia Union-FC Cincinnati-FC CincinnatiNew York City FC-New England Revolution-New England RevolutionChicago Fire-Inter Miami-Inter MiamiMinnesota United FC-FC Dallas-FC DallasAustin-Colorado Rapids-Colorado RapidsHouston Dynamo-Real Salt Lake-Real Salt LakeLatest results
Regular Season - 23
Portland Timbers5Minnesota United FC4Minnesota United FCVancouver Whitecaps1St. Louis City3St. Louis CityReal Salt Lake2Los Angeles FC2Los Angeles FCLos Angeles Galaxy2New England Revolution1New England RevolutionFC Dallas4Sporting Kansas City3Sporting Kansas CitySeattle Sounders0New York Red Bulls0New York Red BullsAustin1San Jose Earthquakes1San Jose EarthquakesColumbus Crew3Colorado Rapids0Colorado RapidsOrlando City SC1San Diego0San DiegoPhiladelphia Union2CF Montreal0CF MontrealCharlotte0Houston Dynamo0Houston DynamoToronto FC4Chicago Fire4Chicago FireInter Miami2Atlanta United FC2Atlanta United FCNew York City FC0Nashville SC0Nashville SCRegular Season - 22
St. Louis City3FC Dallas3FC DallasColumbus Crew1New England Revolution3New England RevolutionPortland Timbers1Austin2AustinSan Diego3Los Angeles Galaxy1Los Angeles GalaxyColorado Rapids1Real Salt Lake0Real Salt LakeHouston Dynamo0San Jose Earthquakes0San Jose EarthquakesSporting Kansas City0Vancouver Whitecaps3Vancouver WhitecapsMinnesota United FC3Orlando City SC3Orlando City SCNashville SC4FC Cincinnati0FC CincinnatiInter Miami7CF Montreal1CF MontrealAtlanta United FC0Charlotte2CharlotteDC United0Los Angeles FC0Los Angeles FCToronto FC1New York City FC1New York City FCNew York Red Bulls1Philadelphia Union3Philadelphia UnionSeattle Sounders2Chicago Fire2Chicago FirePlayers to watch
About MLS
History
Major League Soccer was founded in 1993 as part of the commitment the U.S. Soccer Federation made to FIFA in order to secure hosting rights for the 1994 World Cup — the United States pledged to launch a top-flight professional league. The inaugural season kicked off in 1996 with ten founding clubs, and the first-ever title went to DC United, who beat the Los Angeles Galaxy in the first MLS Cup final at Foxboro Stadium in Massachusetts. Designed from the outset as a single entity — with the league itself, rather than individual clubs, holding players' contracts, a structure meant to guarantee the project's financial stability — MLS has expanded continuously over the decades, growing from 10 to 30 franchises. A major turning point came in 2007 with the introduction of the Designated Player Rule, which allows each club to sign a limited number of star players outside the salary cap: this is the mechanism that brought David Beckham to the Galaxy in 2007, and more recently Lionel Messi to Inter Miami in 2023. Since 2023, the league has also run the annual Leagues Cup each summer, a tournament played against clubs from Mexico's Liga MX.
Trophy Count
- LA Galaxy — 6 MLS Cup titles (2002, 2005, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2024) — the all-time record, with 10 final appearances.
- DC United — 4 MLS Cup titles, including the league's very first in 1996.
- Columbus Crew — 3 MLS Cup titles, most recently in 2023.
- Sporting Kansas City — 2 MLS Cup titles.
- Seattle Sounders FC — 2 MLS Cup titles.
- Houston Dynamo FC — 2 MLS Cup titles.
- San Jose Earthquakes — 2 MLS Cup titles.
Notable Clubs
- LA Galaxy — The league's most decorated club, having fielded David Beckham (2007-2012) and Zlatan Ibrahimović (2018-2019).
- DC United — One of the ten founding clubs in 1996, and winner of the very first MLS Cup.
- Inter Miami CF — Founded in 2018 by David Beckham, the club became the world's most followed after Lionel Messi's arrival in 2023, winning its first MLS Cup in 2025.
- Columbus Crew — The first club in American professional sports history to build a soccer-specific stadium, in 1999.
- Seattle Sounders FC — Holder of the league's highest average attendance, renowned for its passionate fan base.
Competition Format
MLS consists of 30 franchises split evenly between the Eastern and Western Conferences (15 clubs each).
Unlike European leagues, MLS has no promotion or relegation — the league's membership stays stable from one season to the next.
Regular-season standings are determined by points earned:
- Win: 3 points
- Draw: 1 point
- Loss: 0 points
The club that finishes top of the overall table (across both conferences) is awarded the Supporters' Shield, a distinction separate from the championship.
At the end of the regular season, 18 teams (the top 9 from each conference) contest the MLS Cup Playoffs: a wild-card round pits the 8th- and 9th-placed teams in each conference, followed by a best-of-three first round, then single-elimination rounds (conference semifinals and finals) up to the MLS Cup final, played in November or December.
Salary Cap and Continental Competitions
MLS enforces a strict per-team salary cap, softened by the Designated Player Rule, which lets each club sign a limited number of stars outside that cap.
The season's top-performing clubs qualify for CONCACAF's continental competitions:
- CONCACAF Champions Cup
- Leagues Cup (against clubs from Mexico's Liga MX)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many teams play in MLS?
MLS features 30 clubs split into two conferences (Eastern and Western) of 15 teams each.
Which club has won the most MLS Cups?
LA Galaxy, with 6 MLS Cup titles, ahead of DC United (4) and Columbus Crew (3).
Is there relegation in MLS?
No. Unlike European leagues, MLS operates without promotion or relegation.
How do the MLS Cup Playoffs work?
18 teams (9 per conference) contest a wild-card round, a best-of-three first round, then single-elimination rounds up to the MLS Cup final.
What is the Designated Player Rule?
It lets each club sign a limited number of star players outside the salary cap — the mechanism that brought David Beckham, and later Lionel Messi, to MLS.
Who is the reigning MLS champion?
Inter Miami CF, who won their first-ever title in 2025, beating the Vancouver Whitecaps FC 3-1, led by Lionel Messi.
Where can I follow MLS results?
AtlasGoal provides the standings, results, fixture schedule, stats, and latest news for MLS.