This Friday, July 21, Major League Soccer and Liga MX will kick off the inaugural edition of the Leagues Cup. Both leagues will take a month-long break from their domestic campaigns for the first edition of the new annual tournament, the latest attempt to bring the two leagues closer together.
So what exactly is the Leagues Cup? How will it work? Why should you care? Let’s dive in.
What’s the format?
The Leagues Cup is a World Cup-style knockout tournament. 47 teams in total (all 29 MLS clubs and all 18 Liga MX clubs) have divided into regions (East, West, South and Central) and organized into groups of three. Like in the World Cup, the groups are a round robin, with every team playing each other and the top two sides advancing to the Round of 32.
Unlike the World Cup, there are no draws in the group stage. A win in regulation is worth three points and a loss is worth zero, but in case of a draw, both teams are awarded a one point and the match will go directly to a penalty kick shootout, where the winner will earn an additional point. This format has been used in MLS NEXT Pro this season.
The top two sides from each group will advance to the Round of 32. The MLS Cup winner from the prior year gets an automatic bye to the Round of 32. The Clausura or Apertura champion from the year before who has accumulated the most points in the entirity of 2022 also advances to the Round of 32. This year, LAFC (2022 MLS Cup winners) and Pachuca (2022 Apertura winners) have automatically qualified.
Once in the knockout stages, it’s a typical single elimination tournament. Win an advance, lose and go home. Matches tied after 90 minutes will forgo the typical 30 minutes of extra time and head straight to penalty kicks.
All matches will be played in the United States and Canada, with MLS clubs set to host.
What are the groups?
West
West 1 (W1)
- Portland Timbers 🇺🇸
- Tigres 🇲🇽
- San Jose Earthquakes 🇺🇸
West 2 (W2)
- Real Salt Lake 🇺🇸
- Monterrey 🇲🇽
- Seattle Sounders 🇺🇸
West 3 (W3)
- LA Galaxy 🇺🇸
- Léon 🇲🇽
- Vancouver Whitecaps 🇨🇦
Central
Central 1 (C1)
- Columbus Crew 🇺🇸
- Club América 🇲🇽
- St. Louis CITY 🇺🇸
Central 2 (C2)
- Minnesota United 🇺🇸
- Puebla 🇲🇽
- Chicago Fire 🇺🇸
Central 3 (C3)
- FC Cincinnati 🇺🇸
- Chivas Guadalajara 🇲🇽
- Sporting Kansas City 🇺🇸
Central 4 (C4)
- Nashville SC 🇺🇸
- Toluca 🇲🇽
- Colorado Rapids 🇺🇸
South
South 1 (S1)
- Austin FC 🇺🇸
- Mazatlán 🇲🇽
- Juárez 🇲🇽
South 2 (S2)
- Orlando City 🇺🇸
- Santos Laguna 🇲🇽
- Houston Dynamo 🇺🇸
South 3 (S3)
- Inter Miami 🇺🇸
- Cruz Azul 🇲🇽
- Atlanta United 🇺🇸
South 4 (S4)
- FC Dallas 🇺🇸
- Necaxa 🇲🇽
- Charlotte FC 🇺🇸
East
East 1 (E1)
- Philadelphia Union 🇺🇸
- Tijuana 🇲🇽
- Querétaro 🇲🇽
East 2 (E2)
- CF Montréal 🇨🇦
- Pumas 🇲🇽
- DC United 🇺🇸
East 3 (E3)
- New York City FC 🇺🇸
- Atlas 🇲🇽
- Toronto FC 🇨🇦
East 4 (E4)
- New York Red Bulls 🇺🇸
- Atlético San Luis 🇲🇽
- New England Revolution 🇺🇸
Bracket
Who will play?
Teams have to select rosters of between 26 and 30 players to compete, and announced those yesterday. The transfer window is open until August 2 (midway through the tournament), and incoming signings can be added to the roster.
Nashville SC have announced their roster, featuring four Huntsville City FC players and leaving room for two extra players. Inter Miami also announced their roster, including newly signed Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets, as well as yet-to-be-announced fullback Jordi Alba.
How can you watch?
The entire tournament will be available on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. Many of the matches will be available for free, and others will be simultaneously broadcast on Univision in Spanish.
What’s at stake?
MLS and Liga MX have tried to make this more than just a bragging rights competition. Unlike last summer’s showcases, there are actual stakes on the line.
The two sides to reach the final and the winner of the third-place match will all receive automatic qualification to next year’s Concacaf Champions Leauge. The Leagues Cup winner will earn a bye to the Concacaf Champions League Round of 16.
Additionally, there is prize money available. According to a report from Sports Business Journal‘s Alex Silverman, Leagues Cup has a total prize pot of close to $40 million, with the winner earning $2m. This is significantly more than the $300,000 given to the winner of the U.S. Open Cup.
Why should you care?
For starters, if you’re a fan of an MLS or Liga MX team, this is the only way to watch them for a month. Both leagues are on pause during the tournament, and teams will be solely focused on Leagues Cup.
It’s also another way to compare the two leagues. Liga MX has traditionally been dominant over MLS, having more talent evenly spread throughout their rosters and allowing owners to spend money more freely. MLS has gained ground, with Seattle Sounders defeating Pumas in the 2022 Concacaf Champions League final, and MLS sides making four of the last six finals.
Playing on home soil will give MLS clubs an advantage. Depending on how seriously they take the competition, they could be quite successful.
It remains to be seen how managers will approach their squad selection. On one hand, their focus will be on the MLS regular season and keeping their star players healthy. On the other, it’s difficult (even impossible) to take a full month off from competitive games and resume MLS in top form. Different clubs will have different approaches, but expect mostly competitive squads mixed in with some rotation and careful load management.
It’s a novel concept in the global game, and while the inaugural edition may have some hiccups, there’s a lot to be excited about over the next month.
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