The Audi 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs begin Wednesday evening (Oct. 25) with two Wild Card games.
To begin the 18-team playoff field, there are two single-game elimination matches hosted by the higher seed ā New York Red Bulls (Eastern Conference) and Sporting Kansas City (Western Conference).
Eastern Conference
(8) New York Red Bulls vs. (9) Charlotte FC: Everything you need to know
- When:Ā Wednesday, Oct. 25 | 7:30 pm ET
- Watch:Ā Apple TV - MLS Season Pass
- Where:Ā Red Bull Arena
Western Conference
(8) Sporting Kansas City vs. (9) San Jose Earthquakes: Everything you need to know
- When:Ā Wednesday, Oct. 25 | 9:30 pm ET
- Watch:Ā Apple TV - MLS Season Pass
- Where:Ā Children's Mercy Park
PK shootout: If a Wild Card game is tied at the end of regulation time (90 minutes), no extra time will be played. There will immediately be aĀ penalty kick shootoutĀ to determine the winner.
Single elimination: The winner of each Wild Card match will advance to the Round One Best-of-3 series to face the conference No. 1 seed. The loser's playoff journey ends.
The winner advances to the Round One Best-of-3 series against their conference's top seed ā FC Cincinnati (Eastern Conference) and St. Louis CITY SC (Western Conference).
At this stage, matches tied after regulation go straight to a penalty kick shootout (no ties). The matches will be hosted in a home-away-home format; the first team to two wins advances.
Eastern Conference
(1) FC Cincinnati vs. Wild Card winner
- Game 1: Sunday, Oct. 29 | 8 pm ET (TQL Stadium, MLS Season Pass/FS1/ FOX Deportes /TSN, RDS)
- Game 2: Saturday, Nov. 4 | 7 pm ET (TBD, MLS Season Pass)
- Game 3 (if necessary): Saturday, Nov. 11 | 2 pm ET (TQL Stadium, MLS Season Pass)
Western Conference
(1) St. Louis CITY SC vs. Wild Card winner
- Game 1: Sunday, Oct. 29 | 10 pm ET (CITYPARK, MLS Season Pass/FS1/ FOX Deportes /TSN/RDS)
- Game 2: Sunday, Nov. 5 | 5 pm ET (TBD, MLS Season Pass)
- Game 3 (if necessary): Saturday, Nov. 11 | 6 pm ET (CITYPARK, MLS Season Pass)
Date: MLS Cup presented by Audi is set for December 9 at 4 pm ET.Ā
Hosting: The finalist with the highest regular-season point total hosts MLS Cup. In the event that both finalists have the same amount of regular-season points, the team with more wins ā or if they're tied in that category, better goal difference ā will host MLS Cup.
