No. 9 FC Cincinnati will face No. 8 Orlando City SC in the Audi 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs Eastern Conference Wild Card Match on Thursday, November 19 at Inter.co Stadium in Orlando, the league announced today. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET and the match will air globally on Apple TV with local radio broadcast information to be determined.
The winner will advance to the Round One Best-of-3 series to take on No. 1 Nashville SC, with the full Round One schedule to be announced at a later date. FC Cincinnati would host Game 2 of the Round One series with tickets on sale now at FCCincinnati.com/Tickets. For more information, visit FCCincinnati.com/Playoffs.
FC Cincinnati went 1-0-1 against Orlando in regular season competition this season, earning a 6-2 win back on May 23 in a match that equaled a club-record high for goals scored in an MLS match and set a club record for total goal contributions (16: 6 G, 10 A). The two sides drew in Orlando, 1-1, on August 15.
The Wild Card Match will mark the first non-regular season matchup all-time between Cincinnati and Orlando, with the head-to-head series even at 5-5-5 in 15 prior matches.
The full playoff schedule with dates and rounds are listed below.
Round |
Dates |
Wild Card Matches |
Thursday, November 19 |
Round One Best-of-3 Series |
Friday, November 20 – Wednesday, December 2 |
Conference Semifinals |
Saturday, December 5 – Sunday, December 6 |
Conference Finals |
Friday, December 11 – Saturday, December 12 |
MLS Cup 2027 presented by Audi |
Friday, December 18 |
