2024 MLS Cup: Playoffs, schedule, brackets, Messi, teams, players, final
Al Jazeera
What’s the difference between the Supporters’ Shield and the MLS Cup? Which teams have qualified? Al Jazeera explains.
The 2024 Major League Soccer (MLS) season in North America is heading towards its conclusion, with the region’s top club football teams vying for a chance to lift the coveted MLS Cup.
The 2024 tournament is expected to attract a wider global audience with the inclusion of football icon Lionel Messi’s team, Inter Miami, who have qualified for the playoffs for the first time.
Here’s everything you need to know about the MLS Cup:
The 29 MLS teams are divided into two conferences – eastern and western – and play a series of home and away matches in a league format, known as the regular season.
The team at the top of the league at the end of the regular season is awarded the Supporters’ Shield – won by Messi’s Inter Miami in 2024 – and the league then moves towards the MLS Cup.
