MLS

America's calendar-year top flight, decided each autumn by conference play-offs culminating in MLS Cup.

Major League Soccer is the top professional football division in the United States and Canada, founded in 1993 and kicking off its inaugural season in 1996. Unlike Europe's August-to-May leagues, MLS runs on a calendar-year schedule, with clubs split into Eastern and Western Conferences. The best regular-season record across the league earns the Supporters' Shield, but the biggest prize is MLS Cup, awarded after a post-season play-off bracket that pits conference qualifiers against each other for the right to be crowned champions. There is no relegation or promotion between MLS and lower American divisions, giving the competition a franchise-based structure closer to other major US sports leagues than to traditional European football. The league has grown rapidly, now spanning 30 clubs across the United States and Canada, and has increasingly attracted global stars, most notably Lionel Messi's move to Inter Miami CF, which has lifted the league's profile worldwide. LA Galaxy remain the most decorated club with six MLS Cup titles, while Inter Miami enter as reigning champions. Beyond the Shield and Cup, MLS clubs compete for continental honours in the Concacaf Champions Cup and the Leagues Cup against Liga MX opposition. For fans following scores, MLS offers a long regular season followed by a high-stakes play-off run each autumn.