After 25 clubs battled from March 7 to Oct. 24, the USL Championship’s regular season has come to a close, and the postseason kicks off this weekend. The 16-team field features seven former champions and plenty of star players who stood out during an intense 34-week regular season.
Here’s everything you need to know about the 2026 USL Championship Playoffs.
What is the 2026 USL Championship Playoffs format?
For the fourth consecutive year, the league’s playoffs will feature the top eight finishers from each conference in a four-round postseason, starting with the Conference Quarterfinals on Oct. 30 – Nov. 1, continuing with the Conference Semifinals on Nov. 6 – 8, then the Conference Finals on Nov. 13 – 15 before culminating with the 2026 USL Championship Final on Nov. 21.
The USL Championship Playoffs are contested in a single-elimination, fixed-bracket format. The Tampa Bay Rowdies, winners of the 2026 USL Championship Players’ Shield and the top overall seed, will have home-field advantage throughout the postseason.
Several familiar sides will be vying for silverware during the postseason. The 16-team field features seven former champions: Louisville (2017, 2018), Pittsburgh (2025), Colorado Springs (2024), Phoenix (2023), San Antonio (2022), Sacramento (2014) and Charleston (2012). Lexington is the field’s lone playoff debutant.
One of the most intriguing Conference Quarterfinal matchups will see defending champions Pittsburgh seek their first postseason win in four tries against two-time champions Louisville. The Hounds and LouCity also enter the playoffs with two of the longest active postseason appearance streaks: a league-record 12 consecutive appearances for Louisville and nine for Pittsburgh.
The Players’ Shield-winning Rowdies will host Coastal Cup rival and longtime regional foe Miami FC at Al Lang Stadium, with both sides chasing their first USL Championship title. In the Lowcountry, Charleston—the country’s joint-oldest continuously operating professional club alongside the Richmond Kickers—will face a Rhode Island side that has eliminated the Battery from the postseason at Patriots Point in each of the past two seasons.
Out west, New Mexico goalkeeper Kris Shakes, the league leader in saves, will look to contain Phoenix forward Ihsan Sacko, the 2026 USL Championship Golden Boot winner, in Albuquerque. Elsewhere, El Paso will face San Antonio in a classic Copa Tejas clash, hoping its efficient attack can break down SAFC’s stout defense. At the cavernous Heart Health Park in Sacramento, reigning Western Conference champions Tulsa will face Republic FC for the 20th time, but for the first time in postseason play.
| Western Conference |
Eastern Conference |
| 1. New Mexico United (52 points, 15-8-7) |
1. Tampa Bay Rowdies (61 points, 18-5-7) |
| 2. Sacramento Republic FC (51 points, 13-5-12) |
2. Charleston Battery (53 points, 16-9-5) |
| 3. El Paso Locomotive FC (50 points, 15-10-5) |
3. Detroit City FC (51 points, 14-7-9) |
| 4. Lexington SC (48 points, 14-10-6) |
4. Louisville City FC (47 points, 13-9-8) |
| 5. Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC (47 points, 13-9-8) |
5. Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (45 points, 13-11-6) |
| 6. San Antonio FC (45 points, 11-7-12) |
6. Hartford Athletic (43 points, 10-7-13) |
| 7. FC Tulsa (43 points, 11-9-10) |
7. Rhode Island FC (42 points, 12-12-6) |
| 8. Phoenix Rising FC (40 points, 10-10-10) |
8. Miami FC (36 points, 9-12-9) |
Who are the players to watch in the 2026 USL Championship Playoffs?
The postseason will feature plenty of firepower, as nine of the 10 players with at least 15 goal contributions on the season could see action in the playoffs. Alongside Golden Boot winner Ihsan Sacko of Phoenix, the list includes Rubio Rubín (El Paso), M.D. Myers (Tampa Bay), Phillip Goodrum (Lexington), Memo Rodríguez (Sacramento), Chris Donovan (Louisville), Darren Smith (Detroit), Greg Hurst (New Mexico) and Khori Bennett (Colorado Springs). All will be looking to add to their season totals in the playoffs.
Five goalkeepers who recorded at least 10 clean sheets will feature in the postseason: 2026 USL Championship Golden Glove winner Carlos Herrera of Detroit, Tampa Bay’s Jahmali Waite, San Antonio’s Joey Batrouni, Sacramento’s Danny Vitiello and Lexington’s Oliver Semmle. Other shot-stoppers to watch include Miami’s Eloy Room—Curaçao’s FIFA World Cup hero—and the always entertaining Hartford goalkeeper, Antony Siaha.
Other key playmakers set to make more noise in the postseason include the lethal Lexington midfield tandem of Aaron Molloy (five goals, six assists) and Blaine Ferri (four goals, nine assists). Several of the league’s top defenders will also feature in the postseason, including Hartford’s Adrián Diz, Pittsburgh’s Lasse Kelp, Rhode Island’s Frank Nodarse, Sacramento’s Lee Desmond, New Mexico’s Kipp Keller, Detroit’s Haruki Yamazaki and Miami’s Daltyn Knutson, among others.
Which teams have won the USL Championship Final?
Now in its 16th season in its current form, the USL Championship is the longest-running active professional outdoor men’s soccer league in the United States after Major League Soccer (MLS). The collection of winners over the past decade and a half includes current USL Championship heavyweights as well as clubs that have either moved up to first-division MLS or dropped down to third-division MLS NEXT Pro. The most successful clubs in USL Championship Playoffs history are Orlando City SC (2011, 2013) and Louisville City FC (2017, 2018), with two titles apiece.
The 10 other champions come from nearly every corner of the country and include the Charleston Battery (2012), Sacramento Republic FC (2014), the Rochester Rhinos (2015), Red Bull New York II (2016), Real Monarchs (2019), Orange County SC (2021), San Antonio FC (2022), Phoenix Rising FC (2023), Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC (2024) and Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (2025). In every postseason since 2019, a first-time champion has been crowned.
How can fans follow along during the postseason?
The first 14 postseason matches will air on either ESPN or CBS platforms. The 2026 USL Championship Final on Saturday, Nov. 21, at 12 p.m. ET will be broadcast on CBS in English and TUDN in Spanish. The Final will also be live on Paramount+ and SiriusXM FC (Channel 188).
Fans can follow along during the postseason on the league’s website, as well as on Instagram, X/Twitter and Facebook.
