All thirty clubs: fifteen in the Eastern Conference and fifteen in the Western Conference, the same field as 2025 — San Diego FC, who joined that year, are the newest. Each club plays its fourteen conference rivals home and away and six clubs from the other conference once, 34 games in all; every game counts in its own conference table, three points for a win. Clubs level on points are separated by wins, then goal difference, then goals scored, then their head-to-head record; the league's later steps (disciplinary points, home and away splits) are not applied here, so clubs still level share a place. Seeds one to seven in each conference go straight to Round One of the playoffs; eight and nine play a single Wild Card game, hosted by the eighth, for the last place. The best record across both conferences wins the Supporters' Shield.

New York City FC

0–1 Full time Friday 18 September

New York Red Bulls