The Supporters' Shield goes to the team with the best record in the regular season. It was created by fans and first presented in 1999, to the LA Galaxy for their 1998 season. To see how its winners fare in the playoffs, we rebuilt every postseason from the league's own records, all 469 MLS Cup Playoffs games from 1996 to 2025 grouped into 292 rounds, and matched them to the final standings.
How often the Supporters' Shield winner wins MLS Cup
Of the 30 Shield winners, 8 won MLS Cup and one more lost the final: the Chicago Fire, beaten 4-2 by the San Jose Earthquakes in 2003. Ten went out among the last four, nine among the last eight and two in Round One, among the last 16: the Philadelphia Union in 2020 and Inter Miami CF in 2024. Ten lost the first round they played.
Inter Miami set the regular-season points record, 74, in 2024 and lost a best-of-three Round One series to Atlanta United FC, tied for 20th of 29 teams, which had come through the Wild Card game. More often the Shield winner simply met the eventual champion: 13 of the 22 that fell short were knocked out by the team that went on to win MLS Cup.
Supporters' Shield winners, season by season
Every Shield winner, how its playoffs ended and where that season's champion finished. In 2001 and 2020, when clubs played different numbers of games, places are on points per game.
| Season | Supporters' Shield winner | Points | How its playoffs ended | MLS Cup winner (place) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Philadelphia Union | 66 | Lost conference semifinal to New York City FC | Inter Miami (T-2nd) |
| 2024 | Inter Miami | 74 | Lost Round One to Atlanta United | LA Galaxy (T-3rd) |
| 2023 | FC Cincinnati | 69 | Lost conference final to Columbus Crew | Columbus Crew (3rd) |
| 2022 | LAFC | 67 | Won MLS Cup | LAFC (1st) |
| 2021 | New England Revolution | 73 | Lost conference semifinal to New York City FC | New York City FC (T-8th) |
| 2020 | Philadelphia Union | 47 | Lost Round One to New England Revolution | Columbus Crew (T-4th) |
| 2019 | LAFC | 72 | Lost conference final to Seattle Sounders | Seattle Sounders (4th) |
| 2018 | New York Red Bulls | 71 | Lost conference final to Atlanta United | Atlanta United (2nd) |
| 2017 | Toronto FC | 69 | Won MLS Cup | Toronto FC (1st) |
| 2016 | FC Dallas | 60 | Lost conference semifinal to Seattle Sounders | Seattle Sounders (7th) |
| 2015 | New York Red Bulls | 60 | Lost conference final to Columbus Crew | Portland Timbers (T-3rd) |
| 2014 | Seattle Sounders | 64 | Lost conference final to LA Galaxy | LA Galaxy (2nd) |
| 2013 | New York Red Bulls | 59 | Lost conference semifinal to Houston Dynamo | Sporting Kansas City (2nd) |
| 2012 | San Jose Earthquakes | 66 | Lost conference semifinal to LA Galaxy | LA Galaxy (8th) |
| 2011 | LA Galaxy | 67 | Won MLS Cup | LA Galaxy (1st) |
| 2010 | LA Galaxy | 59 | Lost conference final to FC Dallas | Colorado Rapids (T-7th) |
| 2009 | Columbus Crew | 49 | Lost conference semifinal to Real Salt Lake | Real Salt Lake (T-8th) |
| 2008 | Columbus Crew | 57 | Won MLS Cup | Columbus Crew (1st) |
| 2007 | D.C. United | 55 | Lost conference semifinal to Chicago Fire | Houston Dynamo (3rd) |
| 2006 | D.C. United | 55 | Lost conference final to New England Revolution | Houston Dynamo (5th) |
| 2005 | San Jose Earthquakes | 64 | Lost conference semifinal to LA Galaxy | LA Galaxy (T-7th) |
| 2004 | Columbus Crew | 49 | Lost conference semifinal to New England Revolution | D.C. United (4th) |
| 2003 | Chicago Fire | 53 | Lost MLS Cup final to San Jose Earthquakes | San Jose Earthquakes (2nd) |
| 2002 | LA Galaxy | 51 | Won MLS Cup | LA Galaxy (1st) |
| 2001 | Miami Fusion | 53 | Lost semifinal to San Jose Earthquakes | San Jose Earthquakes (5th) |
| 2000 | Kansas City Wizards | 57 | Won MLS Cup | Kansas City Wizards (1st) |
| 1999 | D.C. United | 57 | Won MLS Cup | D.C. United (1st) |
| 1998 | LA Galaxy | 68 | Lost conference final to Chicago Fire | Chicago Fire (3rd) |
| 1997 | D.C. United | 55 | Won MLS Cup | D.C. United (1st) |
| 1996 | Tampa Bay Mutiny | 58 | Lost conference final to D.C. United | D.C. United (3rd) |
The Supporters' Shield and MLS Cup double
Eight Shield winners also won MLS Cup. D.C. United and the LA Galaxy did it twice:
- 1997: D.C. United, 55 points, beat the Colorado Rapids 2-1.
- 1999: D.C. United, 57 points, beat the LA Galaxy 2-0.
- 2000: Kansas City Wizards, 57 points, beat the Chicago Fire 1-0.
- 2002: LA Galaxy, 51 points, beat the New England Revolution 1-0 in extra time.
- 2008: Columbus Crew, 57 points, beat the New York Red Bulls 3-1.
- 2011: LA Galaxy, 67 points, beat the Houston Dynamo 1-0.
- 2017: Toronto FC, 69 points, beat Seattle Sounders FC 2-0.
- 2022: LAFC, 67 points, beat the Philadelphia Union on penalties after a 3-3 draw.
Four of the first seven Shield winners, from 1996 to 2002, won the double; since 2003 only four of 23 have, 17 percent. Since 2012, when the final moved to the home of the finalist with the better record, only two Shield winners have reached it, Toronto FC in 2017 and LAFC in 2022, and both won.
Why the best regular-season team rarely wins MLS Cup
Shield winners have won 38 of the 60 playoff rounds they played, 63 percent. A team that wins each round that often wins three in a row 25 percent of the time, close to the 27 percent they have managed. The Shield winner has usually needed three wins; in 2020 and since 2023, four.
The format changed after 2002. Until then every round before the final was a series of up to three games, and Shield winners won 11 of 14 series and all four finals they reached. Since 2003 the early rounds have been two-game ties, single games or, since 2023, a best-of-three Round One, and Shield winners have won 23 of 42 rounds, 55 percent. Across the bracket, the team with the better record went through in 73 percent of series of up to three games, 64 percent of single games and 56 percent of two-game ties.
The field has also grown, from eight clubs a year through 2010 to 18 since 2023. For comparison, the team with the NBA's best record has won the title in 21 of 47 seasons since 1979-80, and the NHL's Presidents' Trophy winner 8 Stanley Cups in 40 seasons.
MLS Cup winners by regular-season finish
Only 8 of the 30 champions had the league's best record, the Shield winners above. Nineteen finished in the top three league-wide and the median champion finished third. In their own conference, more champions finished second, 11, than first, 9.
Three champions finished eighth. Real Salt Lake in 2009 took the last of eight playoff places, level on 40 points with the Colorado Rapids and D.C. United. The LA Galaxy in 2012, eighth of 19, won a knockout game before the conference semifinals. New York City FC in 2021, tied for eighth of 27, knocked out the Shield-winning New England Revolution on the way.
Who hosts MLS Cup: the better record at home
Until 2011 the final was a neutral-site game, rotated among venues around the league; since 2012 it has been played at the home of the finalist higher in the regular-season standings. Three of the first 16 finals were at a finalist's home ground anyway: D.C. United beat the Colorado Rapids at RFK Stadium in 1997, the New England Revolution lost to the LA Galaxy at Gillette Stadium in 2002 and the Galaxy beat the Houston Dynamo at the Home Depot Center in 2011.
The 14 hosts since 2012 have won 11 finals; the Columbus Crew in 2015, Toronto FC in 2016 and the Portland Timbers in 2021 lost at home. In all, the team with the better record has hosted 16 of the 30 finals. It has won 11 of the 14 since 2012 and 7 of the 16 before, a small sample that points the same way as home advantage in soccer.
The 2026 Supporters' Shield race and playoff dates
Through the games of September 27, Nashville SC leads the Supporters' Shield standings with 60 points from 27 games, 10 ahead of Vancouver Whitecaps FC, which has played one game fewer; FC Dallas is third with 47. Neither leader has won the Shield before; 17 clubs have. Nashville's rate of 2.22 points per game is above the 2.18 of Inter Miami's record 74-point season.
The 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs keep the format of the last three seasons:
- Decision Day, the last day of the regular season: Saturday, November 7.
- Wild Card games, eighth against ninth in each conference: November 18.
- Round One, best of three, with the No. 1 seeds facing the Wild Card winners: November 20 to December 2.
- Conference semifinals: December 5 and 6. Conference finals: December 11 and 12.
- MLS Cup: Friday, December 18, hosted by the finalist higher in the Supporters' Shield standings.
It is the last MLS Cup set for December before the league moves to a summer-to-spring calendar. How the bracket works is in our guide to the MLS playoffs and the points line; the MLS table and the MLS schedule follow the race.
Supporters' Shield and MLS Cup: frequently asked questions
How often does the Supporters' Shield winner win MLS Cup? Eight times in 30 seasons, 27 percent of the time, and four times in the 23 since 2003, most recently LAFC in 2022.
Which teams have won the Supporters' Shield and MLS Cup double? D.C. United in 1997 and 1999, the Kansas City Wizards in 2000, the LA Galaxy in 2002 and 2011, the Columbus Crew in 2008, Toronto FC in 2017 and LAFC in 2022.
Who hosts MLS Cup? The finalist that finished higher in the Supporters' Shield standings, as it has since 2012. Hosts have won 11 of those 14 finals.
What is the lowest-ranked team to win MLS Cup? Three champions finished eighth league-wide: Real Salt Lake in 2009, the LA Galaxy in 2012 and New York City FC in 2021.
Who won the 2025 Supporters' Shield? The Philadelphia Union, with 66 points. It lost to New York City FC in the Eastern Conference semifinals, and Inter Miami beat the Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1 in MLS Cup.
How this was built: final regular-season standings, league-wide and by conference, and all 469 MLS Cup Playoffs games from 1996 to 2025, from MLS's own stats feed, the data behind mlssoccer.com's standings. The games form 292 rounds; a round's winner is the club that played on, and the final's winner is set by the score or the shootout. Places are by points, or points per game in 2001 and 2020, with clubs level on points sharing a place; conference places are the league's (in 2000 and 2001, three conferences of four). We fixed two feed errors: an extra 0-0 game for Houston and D.C. United in 2008, and Colorado eighth instead of fifth in the 2020 Western Conference. Results match MLS's Shield list, its MLS Cup results, its review of Shield winners and Wikipedia. The 2026 table was read on September 30, 2026.