The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be either a single game, a series of games, or a tournament, and may use a single-elimination system or one of several other different playoff formats. Playoff, in regard to international fixtures, is to qualify or progress to the next round of a competition or tournament.
The NCAA Division I men's soccer tournament, sometimes known as the College Cup, is an American intercollegiate soccer tournament conducted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and determines the Division I men's national champion. The tournament was formally held in 1959, when it was an eight-team tournament. Since then, the tournament has expanded to 48 teams, in which every Division I conference tournament champion is allocated a berth. Among the most successful programs, Saint Louis won 10 titles during dynasty years between 1959 and 1973. Indiana has won 8 titles beginning in 1982, whereas Virginia has won 7 titles beginning in 1989. Syracuse won its first national title in its first appearance in 2022.
The MLS Cup Playoffs is the annual postseason elimination tournament of Major League Soccer. The MLS Cup, the league's championship game, is the final match of the tournament. Under the current format adopted for the 2023 season, 18 teams qualify for the tournament based on regular-season point totals — the nine highest-placed teams from each the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference. Audi is the title sponsor of this tournament.
The Sun Belt Conference men's basketball tournament has been played every year since the formation of the Sun Belt Conference prior to the 1976–77 American collegiate academic year. The winner of the tournament is guaranteed an automatic berth into the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.
The NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship is an annual single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III collegiate men's soccer in the United States.
The VCU Rams men's soccer team is an intercollegiate varsity sports team of Virginia Commonwealth University, an NCAA Division I member school located in the state's capital of Richmond. The team is a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference.
The MAAC men's soccer tournament is the conference championship tournament in soccer for the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). The tournament has been held every year since 1988. It is a single-elimination tournament and seeding is based on regular season records. The winner, declared conference champion, receives the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division I men's soccer championship.
The Coastal Athletic Association men's soccer tournament is the annual conference championship tournament for the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA). The tournament has been held every year since 1983, when the CAA began sponsoring a men's soccer program.
The Creighton Bluejays men's soccer team represents Creighton University in NCAA men's Division I soccer competitions. They compete in the Big East Conference and have risen to prominence in collegiate men's soccer in the last few decades having gone to the NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament in 22 of the previous 23 seasons, going back to 1992, with five appearances in the College Cup semifinals and one appearance in the National Championship Match. In conference play, the Bluejays have won 13 conference regular season championships and 13 conference tournament championships; the most recent being the 2014 Big East Conference Regular Season Championship. Creighton is the only soccer program in the nation to have at least one athlete taken in every Major League Soccer (MLS) draft from 1996 to 2014. They are currently coached by Johnny Torres.
The Conference USA men's soccer tournament was the conference championship tournament in soccer for Conference USA (C-USA). The tournament was held every year from 1995 until 2021, except 2020. It was a single-elimination tournament and seeding was based on regular season records. The winner, declared conference champion, received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division I men's soccer championship.
The American Athletic Conference women's soccer tournament is the conference championship tournament in soccer for the American Athletic Conference. The tournament has been held every year since the split from the Big East Conference in 2013. It is a single-elimination tournament and seeding is based on regular season records. The winner, declared conference champion, receives the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship.
The Big East Conference women's soccer tournament is the conference championship tournament in soccer for the Big East Conference. The tournament has been held every year since 1993. It is a single-elimination tournament and seeding is based on regular season records. The winner, declared conference champion, receives the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division I women's soccer championship.
The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Tournament is the annual conference basketball championship tournament for the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. The tournament has been held every year since 1993, when the RMAC became an NCAA Division II conference. It is a single-elimination tournament and seeding is based on regular season records.
The Great Northwest Athletic Conference men's basketball tournament is the annual conference basketball championship tournament for the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. The tournament has been held annually since 2011. It is a single-elimination tournament and seeding is based on regular season records.
The ASUN Men's Soccer Tournament is the conference championship tournament in soccer for the ASUN Conference. The tournament has been held every year since 1978 except in 2020, when the ASUN moved its soccer season from fall 2020 to spring 2021 due to COVID-19 issues. It is a single-elimination tournament and seeding is based on regular season records. The winner, declared conference champion, receives the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Men's Division I Soccer Championship.
The Mid-American Conference women's soccer tournament is the conference championship tournament in women's soccer for the Mid-American Conference (MAC). The tournament has been held every year since 1997. It is a single-elimination tournament that features the conference's top six teams, with seeding based on regular season records. The winner receives the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division I women's soccer championship. Through the 2022 season, the Bowling Green Falcons have won the most championships with six, followed by the Toledo Rockets with five titles.
The 2021 MAAC men's soccer tournament was the postseason men's soccer tournament for the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference held from November 7 through November 14, 2021. The seven-match tournament took place at campus sites, with the higher seed hosting matches. The host for the matches was determined by seeding from regular season play. The eight-team single-elimination tournament consisted of three rounds based on seeding from regular season conference play. The Monmouth were the defending champions and were unable to defend their title, losing to Marist in the semifinals. Marist went on to win the Championship, defeating Rider in a penalty shoot-out in the final. This is Marist's fourth overall tournament win and first since 2005. The title is also the first for head coach Matt Viggiano. As tournament champions, Marist earned the MAAC's automatic berth into the 2021 NCAA Division I men's soccer tournament.
The 2022 MAAC men's soccer tournament was the postseason men's soccer tournament for the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference held from November 6 through November 13, 2022. The five-match tournament took place at campus sites, with the higher seed hosting matches. The host for the matches was determined by seeding from regular season play. The six-team single-elimination tournament consisted of three rounds based on seeding from regular season conference play. The Marist Red Foxes were the defending champions and were unable to defend their title, after a seventh place regular season finish did not qualify them for the tournament. Regular season champion and top seed Quinnipiac would go on to win the tournament, defeating second seed Iona 3–2 in the final. This was Quinnipiac's second overall tournament win and first since 2013. Both of their titles have come under head coach Eric Da Costa. As tournament champions, Quinnipiac earned the MAAC's automatic berth into the 2022 NCAA Division I men's soccer tournament.
The 2023 American Athletic Conference men's soccer tournament was the postseason men's soccer tournament for the American Athletic Conference held November 5 through November 12, 2023. The five-match tournament took place at campus sites, with the higher seed hosting while the Semifinals and Finals were hosted at Westcott Field in Dallas, Texas. The six-team single-elimination tournament consisted of three rounds based on seeding from regular season conference play.The defending champions were the FIU Panthers. The Panthers were unable to defend their title, falling to Florida Atlantic in the First Round. Charlotte would go on to win the tournament title over SMU in the final 2–1. This was Charlotte's first American Athletic Conference tournament title as they joined the league in 2022. It was their third conference title overall. This was also the first American tournament title for head coach Kevin Langan and his second conference tournament title overall. As tournament champions Charlotte earned the American Athletic Conference's automatic berth into the 2023 NCAA Division I men's soccer tournament.
