We are excited to present the USL League Two 2024 Playoff Structure. This post-season playoff structure includes a 35-team national playoff much like the 2023 model with a few variations, including a new first round for the Eastern Conference. This new structure was created in the best interest of the League to promote equity across all conferences by way of a qualifying round for the Eastern Conference. With input from Eastern Conference Executive Committee Members, the Eastern Conference Qualifying Round was created to increase playoff access opportunities for the increased number of teams within the Eastern Conference without having to expand the regular season calendar.

Playoff Structure:

• The playoffs will consist of 35 teams: 4 division winners and 4 division runners up from Western and Central divisions, as well as 5 division winners and 3 runners up from the Southern Conference. 5 division winners from the Eastern Conference will automatically receive a berth in the round of 32, but the remaining 3 spots will be the outcome of the following static matchups:
  •  South Atlantic 2nd place vs Chesapeake 2nd place
  • Northeast 2nd place vs Metropolitan 2nd place 
  • Mid Atlantic 2nd place vs Metropolitan OR Northeast 3rd place (determined by higher PPG and continuing with USL League Two tiebreakers as needed) 
• Hosts will be selected through the playoff host bid process. The dates for the 2024 playoffs are as follows:
  • Eastern Conference Qualifying Round: July 15th - July 16th, 5 division winners automatically qualify for Round of 32 while (5) 2nd place teams and (1) 3rd place team (pending division) play a single-elimination, inter-division match to determine who advances to the Round of 32.
  •  Round of 32 & 16: July 19th and July 21st, hosted at eight regional sites.
  • Conference Final & National Semi-Final: July 26th and July 28th, hosted at two sites.
  • USL League Two Final: August 3rd, hosted at one location.

Playoff Sorting Structure:
1. Clubs are sorted into groups first by distance from the host site (primary venue). Should two clubs have the same travel distance (within a 50-mile difference) seeding will come into play for group placement. The lowest seed will make the longer trip if all circumstances are met and do not cause a team to make a more expensive trip (i.e., Flying). If seeding cannot determine the location, USL League Two tiebreakers will be followed to determine the team that makes the longer trip.

-Per USL League Two Operations Manual *Flight can be requested with travel over 600 miles.

-Distance is calculated by a club’s primary home venue designated at the beginning of the season to host site location.

2. Matchups will be determined first by allowing teams the opportunity to play an out-of-division opponent in Round 1 if possible. If only one team in the group is from a different division, seeding will be used to determine matchups.

3. All other matchups will be determined by seeding.

4. Division Winners will be seeded first as one (1) seed.

5. Second-place clubs or divisional runner-ups will be seeded second as a two (2) seed.

6. Any wild card qualifiers will be seeded third as a three (3) seed. Third-place teams will be seeded third as a three (3) seed.

7. Any divisions with four qualifying teams, will be seeded third as a three (3) seed.