The Chicago Fire have known for weeks that they would certainly be in the MLS playoffs, and now, they know their first round schedule.
The best-of-three first round series against Charlotte FC will kick off at 5:30 p.m. Central Time on Sunday, November 22nd, with home games being played at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview. Game two, set for Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, will be played a week later, kicking off at 11:30 a.m. CST on November 28th.
If a third game is necessary, the series would quickly return to Bridgeview with the deciding match to be played on Wednesday, December 2nd. A kickoff time for that potential fixture has not yet been set.
Ticketing info is being distributed by the Fire. Any home games at SeatGeek Stadium would be expected to sell out due to the stadium's small, roughly 20,000 capacity, and given the Fire's 31,285 average attendance since the World Cup, the demand for tickets may outnumber supply.
The first team to win two games will advance to face Nashville SC or the East Wild Card winner in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Any draws would go directly to penalties, with no extra time or golden goal to be played. There is no aggregate, and the only stat that matters will be wins in the best-of-three format.
The Fire are unable to play games at Soldier Field due to the Chicago Bears' home schedule. The Bears will host the New Orleans Saints at the stadium on November 22nd, and the Jacksonville Jaguars on December 6th. The only potential opening for a Fire return to Soldier Field this season would be if they host MLS Cup on December 18th, as the Bears do not have any home games again until Christmas.
Chicago Fire head coach Gregg Berhalter: “We got home field advantage and we’re gonna use it.” https://t.co/slQHSOcxMZ pic.twitter.com/urXDNQnye6
— Alex Calabrese (@amcalabrese12) November 7, 2026
This first round series marks the Fire's second successive qualification of the MLS playoffs after Gregg Berhalter brought the team back to the postseason last season for the first time in eight years. In the 2025 campaign, the Fire dismantled Orlando City 3-1 in the Wild Card game, but were swept by the top-seeded Philadelphia Union in two games.
Despite last year's crushing disappointment, hopes are high for the series against Charlotte. Although Dean Smith's side enter the playoffs on a hot streak – they have scored 11 goals in their last three games – the Fire maintain a perfect winning record against Charlotte under Berhalter, going 4-0-0 across the last two seasons. In their most recent meeting, Johan Gómez scored the only goal as the Men in Red escaped North Carolina with a narrow 1-0 win in late September.
