Major League Soccer (MLS) is planning a significant overhaul of its playoff format, multiple league and club sources told the Guardian this week. The changes, which would debut in 2028 alongside the league’s shift to a fall-to-spring schedule, could include a ‘double-elimination’ component and see as many as 20 teams feature.

The proposed format would pair with long-reported changes to MLS’s regular season, with the league going to a five-division setup in place of its current Eastern and Western Conference structure. Notably, the 20 potential spots wouldn’t necessarily be evenly distributed among the league’s divisions; instead, all teams would be combined into a single table at season’s end, with the overall 20 best teams advancing to the postseason.

Eight of those 20 teams would take part in a play-in round, with four advancing to create a final field of 16 teams. The top eight teams in the combined table would play in a double-elimination round, a move that seems aimed at further incentivizing the league’s regular season matches. A win in that initial round would see a team through directly to the quarter-finals. Teams, sources said, would be re-seeded after each round, ensuring that higher-seeded teams are offered a competitive and hosting advantage throughout the playoffs.

MLS says it has yet to make any formal decision on the future of the playoffs.