Chicago Fire hold fourth place in Major League Soccer's Eastern Conference with 56 points, while Columbus Crew sit ninth on 45, according to the standings published by the BBC on Saturday 7 November 2026. The two sides meet that day with the Fire already assured of a top-seven finish and the Crew occupying one of the two wildcard playoff positions. The table was last updated at 22:57 on the same date.
Why it matters
The Eastern Conference table splits into two distinct tiers. Positions one through seven go straight into the final series, while eighth and ninth enter the playoffs through a wildcard route, as set out in the BBC's table key. Chicago's fourth place means the club has already secured its place among the top seven. Columbus, in ninth, holds the last wildcard berth and has no cushion beneath it.
The gap between the clubs is 11 points, but their recent trajectories point in opposite directions. The Fire have won three of their last six, lost twice and drawn once. The Crew have won five of their last six and lost one, a run the standings alone does not fully capture.
How the Eastern Conference stands
Nashville SC lead the conference with 77 points from 34 matches, built on 23 wins, eight draws and three defeats. Their goal difference of 46 is the strongest in the East, with 71 goals scored and 25 conceded. Inter Miami are second on 62 points, and New England third on 58.
Chicago's record reads 16 wins, eight draws and ten losses across 34 games. The Fire have scored 64 goals and conceded 53 for a goal difference of 11. Charlotte follow in fifth on 53 points, Philadelphia are sixth on 50, and Orlando City seventh on 46. Cincinnati sit eighth, also on 46 points but with an inferior goal difference of minus eight.
Columbus have 13 wins, six draws and 15 defeats from their 34 matches. The Crew have scored 58 and conceded 52, giving them a goal difference of six — better than Orlando's minus 15 and Cincinnati's minus eight, but not enough to lift them above either side on points.
Below the Crew, New York RB are tenth on 42 points and New York City eleventh, also on 42. Toronto have 39, Atlanta United and DC United 33 each, and Montréal are bottom of the conference on 26.
A Crew side finding form late
Columbus's position is the more precarious of the two, and their recent results are the reason it may not stay that way. The BBC's form guide, which lists each club's last six games oldest first, shows the Crew losing their earliest fixture in that run and then winning the next five in succession.
That sequence has come too late to move them into the automatic qualifying places, but it has kept them inside the wildcard spots. Cincinnati, immediately above them, have a mixed run of two losses, two wins and a draw in their last six. Orlando, one place higher still, have two wins, three draws and a loss.
Chicago's form has been less consistent. The Fire opened their six-game window with a win, then lost twice, won again, drew, and closed with a win. Their goal difference of 11 is the third-best in the Eastern Conference behind Nashville and Inter Miami.
The wider playoff picture
The Western Conference remains in progress, with most clubs having played 33 matches rather than 34. Vancouver Whitecaps lead on 64 points, followed by Dallas on 55 and SJ Earthquakes on 52. St. Louis City and Houston Dynamo are level on 51 points in fourth and fifth.
The BBC's table key confirms that the top seven in each conference advance directly to the final series, while eighth and ninth enter the playoffs. That structure gives Columbus's ninth place real value and leaves Cincinnati, a point and a goal-difference margin away, with something to defend.
For Chicago, the remaining question is seeding rather than survival. Fourth place carries home advantage in the opening round, and the Fire's 11-point cushion over Charlotte in fifth gives them room, though New England in third are two points clear.
Watch whether Columbus can extend a five-match winning run and whether Chicago can hold fourth spot as the Eastern Conference regular season closes out.
