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MISA PLAYOFFS

FALL 2026 PLAYOFFS 

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Playoffs 2026 are the following dates:

High School -- Oct 17-18, Oct 24-25

5th/6th and 7th/8th -- Oct 24-25, Oct 31-Nov 1

ALL TEAMS PLAY IN PLAYOFFS

Brackets are listed below along with
direct links to the game schedules by age group.

HS posted below
5th/6th & 7th/8th to be posted by October 16th.

FULL PLAYOFF SCHEDULE can be found in this link by grouping and field. 

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Teams are seeded at end of season based on Points (Win/Loss/Tie).​
Tiebreaker if points are equal: Goal Differential, then Goals Against, then Goals For.

 

All playoff games are single elimination, except South 5/6.

  • 5/6 Boys & Girls: Combined and re-seeded into Upper (Mt. Tam), Middle (Golden Gate) and Lower (Muir Woods)

  • 7/8 Boys (North & South), 7/8 Girls (North & South), HS Boys, HS Girls: Seeded into single brackets.

  • South 5/6: Round Robin “Jamboree.”​​

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HIGH SCHOOL

Miller Creek, Mill Valley, Novato, Petaluma, San Anselmo, San Rafael

MISA NORTH
Canal FC, Miller Creek, Novato, San Anselmo, San Rafael, West Marin

MISA SOUTH
Corte Madera, Mill Valley, Tiburon

MISA Playoff Rules

All playoff games follow the regular MISA Playing Rules & Protocols, with the following adjustments:

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Game Lengths

  • High School: 2 × 40-minute halves

  • 7th/8th Grade: 2 × 35-minute halves

  • 5th/6th Grade: 2 × 30-minute halves

  • Halftime: 5 minutes

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The higher seeded team will be the Home team (not for home field, but for ball supply and coin toss rules)

 

Tiebreakers
Non-Semi Final/Final Games

  • No overtime periods.

  • If tied at the end of regulation, proceed directly to a Penalty Kick Shootout (see rules below).

 

Semi-Final & Final Games

  • If tied at the end of regulation, play two 5-minute Golden Goal overtime periods (first goal ends the game).

  • If still tied, proceed to a Penalty Kick Shootout.

 

Penalty Kick Shootout Rules

      • In the event of a tie, there will be a Penalty Kick Shoot Out, based on FIFA Laws of the Game, with the following modification:

      • Any player may kick, whether an active player or a substitute at the end of regulation play, except those players who have been disqualified.

      • No repeat kickers until all rostered players have kicked, EXCEPT

        • If there is an imbalance in roster sizes, the team with fewer players shall use all players before repeating a kicker, and the team with the larger roster will match the number of unique kickers to the team with the smaller roster, and then may choose to use all their players, or repeat kickers.
          EX:  Team A has 9 players, and Team B has 12 players.  If PKs remain tied, Team A will use all 9 players before repeating, and Team B may repeat kickers after using their first 9 players.

    • Any eligible player may serve as goalkeeper. Goalkeepers may change between kicks and may also take a penalty kick themselves.

 

Warm-Ups

Due to field scheduling, warm-ups may be restricted to areas near the field. Teams must be ready to begin games on time.

 

Playing Time

Every player must play at least 50% of each game. Failure to meet this requirement may result in:

  • Team disqualification from playoffs or championships

  • Suspension or banning of coaches from future MISA seasons

 

Stoppage Time

Referees should only add stoppage time for significant injury delays. If a referee determines a team is deliberately wasting time (e.g., excessive substitutions), stoppage time may be added at their discretion.

 

Score Reporting

Scores must be reported accurately. Failure to do so may result in:

  • Team disqualification (including from championships)

  • Suspension or banning of coaches from future MISA seasons

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No Double Rostering

There is no double rostering allowed during playoffs. If a player has been double rostered this season (playing up), they must play with only one team for playoffs. The recommendation would be to play in their age group, unless the older team will be short players.

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Sideline Behavior
This is good time to remind coaches and players of appropriate sideline behavior. There are links at the top of the website rules page: https://www.misasoccer.org/rules.

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Please notify your coaches and refs of any relevant info above. In addition, if you feel there is a coach in your club that might be a “problem,” consider having someone from your club there to supervise.

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Parking
Please be respectful of the neighborhood around all fields. There are a lot of cars going in and out during playoffs and parking can be challenging. Please do not block driveways or park illegally.

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MISA Tournament & Scoring Rules
5th/6th Jamborees - Odd #ed Brackets ONLY

Tournament scoring and tiebreakers

Result:

  • Win - 3 points

  • Tie - 1 point

  • Loss - 0 points

  • BYE - 0 points - excluded from games played​

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Rank teams using:

  • Points per game (total points / games played)

  • Head to head result, when tied teams played each other

  • Goal differential per game, capped at +3 per game

  • Goals against per game (lower is better)

  • Goals scored per game (higher is better)

  • Penalty shootout or random draw

 

Example standings

  • #1 seed - 2-0-0, 3.00 PPG, +2.50 GD/game

  • #2 seed - 3-0-0, 3.00 PPG, +2.00 GD/game

  • #3 seed - 2-0-1, 2.33 PPG, +2.33 GD/game

  • #4 seed - 2-1-0, 2.00 PPG, +1.67 GD/game

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This approach prevents the #1 seed from being penalized for having few opportunities to score points or goals.

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MISA Playoff Blowout Policy

A “blowout” is defined as winning by more than 6 goals. Example: 7–1 is acceptable; 8–1 is not.
This policy applies to all playoff and tournament games, with the following clarifications:

 

1. Single Elimination Games​

  • Teams that win by more than 6 goals will be penalized in their next game.

  • The violating team must play with one fewer player than the standard format.

    • Example:
      In 11v11, the team plays with 10 players while the opponent plays with 11.
      In 9v9, the team plays with 8 players while the opponent plays with 9.

 

2. Tournament Seeding Games​

  • If a team wins by more than 6 goals, they will earn 1 point for the win instead of the standard 3 points.

 

3. Championship & Consolation Games

  • Since there is no following game, teams are required to manage scoring to avoid exceeding the blowout threshold.

  • Coaches who violate this rule may be suspended or banned from future MISA seasons.

 

4. Unsportsmanlike Conduct

  • Coaches or teams that deliberately score an “own goal” to manipulate results (e.g., tournament advancement) may be suspended or banned from future MISA seasons.

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