Nashville beat FC Cincinnati 2–0 on 7 November, with Sam Surridge scoring twice to reach 21 league goals for the season. Lionel Messi won a second consecutive Golden Boot with 26 goals as Inter Miami drew 3–3 with Charlotte FC after giving up a three-goal halftime lead. Orlando beat New England 1–0.
Inter Miami surrendered a three-goal halftime lead to draw 3–3 with Charlotte FC on the final day of the Major League Soccer regular season. Messi did not score, but set up Miami’s first two goals from corner kicks. Miami secured home-field advantage for the first two playoff rounds.
Liel Abada scored in the 50th and 55th minutes for Charlotte. Rodolfo Aloko equalized in the 90th, putting in the rebound after Tyger Smalls hit the post.
Miami finished second in the Eastern Conference with 60 points after third-place New England lost 1–0 at Orlando. Messi finished the regular season with a league-high 26 goals, becoming the first player to win consecutive MLS Golden Boots after his 2025 award; FC Dallas forward Petar Musa finished behind him with 22 goals.
Nashville SC beat FC Cincinnati 2–0 on 7 November 2026, to finish with a record 77 points. Nashville had entered the finale level with Miami’s previous mark of 74, set in 2024. Sam Surridge scored both goals in the second half, taking his season total to 21.
Nashville had already secured the Supporters’ Shield, awarded for the best regular-season record, two weeks earlier. It finished a record 13 points ahead of its nearest challenger, the Vancouver Whitecaps.
| Measure | Total |
|---|---|
| Most wins | 23 |
| Fewest losses | 3 |
| Fewest goals conceded | 25 |
| Most home wins | 15 |
| Most shutouts, tied | 17 |
A shutout is a game in which a team concedes no goals.
Miami will face seventh-seeded Columbus Crew in a best-of-three first-round series. Nashville enters the playoffs unbeaten in 10 games and will have home-field advantage throughout.
Inter Miami–Charlotte and LAFC–Seattle are scheduled for 7 November, when results on the final regular-season matchday can settle playoff qualification and positioning.
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Nashville wins the trophy for Major League Soccer’s best regular-season team for the first time, securing playoff home-field advantage and a place in the 2027 Concacaf Champions Cup.
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Messi set a league record with his third straight 15-assist season, while Miami’s third successive win left it second in the East.
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