We’re two months away from the 2024-25 MLS regular season closing — meaning we’re more than halfway through the action. Which got us wondering, who’s the best pick to win the MLS Cup when it’s all said and done?

We’re not the only ones with that question top of mind either. The best soccer betting sites also have futures odds on the outcome. Below we’ve listed the current betting favorites to win the championship (as in the playoffs, not just best regular-season record):

ClubBovadaBetUSMyBookie
Inter Miami CF+400+400+400
San Diego FC+600+600+600
FC Cincinnati+700+700+700
Vancouver Whitecaps FC+700+700+700

2025 MLS Playoff Format Revealed

The MLS, for all its growth over the past few decades, still hasn’t figured out how to crown a league champion. This league has consistently tweaked with the playoff format — single elimination, best-of-three, wildcard round, etc. The league just announced the 2025 postsason format, and for once, it’s the same. Here’s how it works:

Decision Day will be October 18. As the name implies, this is when the playoffs are decided in one final day of regular-season games. After that, the nine best teams from each conference qualify for the postseason.

The eighth- and ninth-seeded teams play a wildcard game. This is a single-elimination match with the winner advancing to round one, where it becomes a 16-team elimination tournament.

That round one is a best-of-three series— the only round where multiple games are played. This was done to prevent stunning upsets, yet it still happened a year ago. In 2024, both the defending champions (Columbus) and Supporters Shield winners (Miami) were bounced. Obviously, the latter was rough on the league since it took Leonel Messi out of the picture.

After round one, both the semi-finals and the championship game revert to single-elimination games. Hosting rights go to the top-seeded team (in the finals, it’s whoever had the better regular-season record). This year, the MLS Cup will be decided on Saturday, December 6.

Best Bets To Win MLS Cup

The MLS Playoffs have a propensity for upsets. As mentioned before, last year saw the best team and defending champion bounced in the first real round. That’s why you’d be smart to make multiple MLS Cup betting picks rather than just one. Think of this as “insurance” against a wild upset striking your preferred pick. With that said, here are the two teams we’d prioritize when betting:

Inter Miami

Is anyone surprised with this pick? They have the top soccer odds, and yes, they have all the star power. Not just with Messi, but a slew of other players that have done well internationally — Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets, Luis Suarez, and the newly-added, Rodrigo de Paul.

But despite this who’s-who roster, Miami has been hot and cold all season long. That’s evident by its 12-6-4 mark, which has them fifth in the Eastern Conference at the moment. The caveat, of course, is that Messi has been injured much of the season. Whenever he is in the lineup, this Miami team can essentially score at will offensively.

Assuming Messi stays healthy, Miami should be the team to beat in the playoffs. Again, its roster is insane. Yes, we know much of their stars are way beyond their peak, but even a down-slopping Messi and Suarez are the best the MLS has to offer. Messi is tied for the most goals league-wide at 18 despite playing in eight games fewer than the player he’s deadlocked with.

But once again, we strongly recommend pairing a Miami bet with someone else. The risk with Miami is not just another Messi injury, it’s also team-wide fatigue. Outside of its MLS slate, Miami has played through a gauntlet of competitions. First it was the CONCACAF Champions Cup (they lost in the semis), then it was the Club World Cup (knockout round exit), and now the Leagues Cup (ongoing). That’s a tough stretch for any club, little less one that’s aging like this one.

San Diego FC

Rather than pick another Eastern Conference team, bettors would be smart to find a Western Conference equivalent — that way you’re two betting picks don’t knock one another out before the final. Out West, the choice almost has to be San Diego.

This has been the story of the MLS season. In their debut season, San Diego has run through the entire league. At 15-4-7, they are tops in the conference and just two points away from the Supporters Shield top spot.

San Diego built its roster fast because they had to due to the expansion. When it did, it pinned its hopes on two foreign players — Chucky Lozano and Anders Dreyer. Both have absolutely delivered too. If the season ended today, Dreyer is the likely MVP winner with 12 goals and an eye-popping 17 assists. Lozano, meanwhile, has combined for 14 goals. Watch out for this duo come playoff time!

How To Bet On MLS?

Between the close of the regular season and the playoffs, we still have four months of MLS betting left. That’s more than enough to profit on not just MLS Cup futures, but everyday matches. We recommend hitting one of the underneath sites to get your MLS betting fix!