D.C. United competes in the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer. The league is divided into two conferences of 15 teams each, with teams playing a balanced schedule that includes both intra-conference and inter-conference matches.
Conference placement determines a team's primary opponents during the regular season and their path through the MLS Cup Playoffs. Teams in the Eastern Conference compete for conference-specific playoff seeding, with the top teams earning home-field advantage in the postseason.