Source: MLS mulling sweeping playoff expansion

Major League Soccer is successful discussions to modify its playoff operation to person arsenic galore arsenic 30 games with a World Cup-style format, a league root confirmed to ESPN.

The root cautioned that thing has been approved, but the playoff format volition beryllium a taxable for treatment astatine the league's adjacent committee of governors gathering connected Nov. 15.

- Stream connected ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLS, much (U.S.)

The Athletic was the archetypal to study the news.

MLS' existent playoff format involves 7 qualifiers from each league with a single-elimination format that amounts to a full of 13 games.

The Athletic reported that 1 imaginable format would spot 8 qualifiers from each league enactment into groups of four, with the apical 2 teams from each radical advancing to a knockout stage.

A simpler home-and-away format, which would magnitude to 25 games, is besides being considered.

Discussions connected a caller format travel successful the aftermath of a 10-year, $2.5 cardinal broadcast rights woody with Apple TV that was signed successful June, with the thought of expanding the league's playoff inventory.

The feeling is that 13 games is acold excessively abbreviated a clip to make storylines for the postseason.

MLS has modified its playoff format galore times implicit the years. The existent format was adopted successful 2019 and was designed to reward higher seeds that excelled during the regular season.

The erstwhile format had teams playing a home-and-away format until the MLS Cup final.