Written by Zach Lowy
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We’ve seen more and more collaborations between the Mexican and American soccer federations in recent years, with the last two MLS All-Star Games seeing the MLS’ best players face off against Liga MX’s finest. Perhaps the most apparent example of this partnership is the Leagues Cup, an international tournament that pits Liga MX clubs and MLS clubs against each other.
When was the Leagues Cup founded?
The first Leagues Cup came in July 2019 when four teams from each of Mexico and the U.S.’s premier divisions competed against each other in a single-elimination tournament. The final was held in Las Vegas, where Cruz Azul defeated Tigres 2-1. The second edition took place in 2021 with León beating Seattle Sounders 3-2, whilst the 2022 Leagues Cup Showcase would feature five friendly matches between MLS and Liga MX sides, serving as a one-time replacement of the previously planned 2022 Leagues Cup, which was not held due to fixture congestion from the 2022 FIFA World Cup and other factors.
Is there any precedent for the Leagues Cup?
The North American SuperLiga commenced in 2007 with the four MLS teams with the best regular season records qualifying alongside the champions of the last four semi-annual tournaments in Mexico. However in 2008, MLS announced that they would no longer teams to compete in both the Concacaf Champions League and the SuperLiga due to fixture congestion, so the criteria for MLS teams was amended to the top four teams not already qualified for the Champions League. Two years later, the tournament was discontinued.
What are the main incentives for the Leagues Cup?
When it comes to understanding the unique needs and characteristics of Mexican and American soccer, there are few more equipped than Herculez Gomez. Born in California to Mexican-American parents, Gomez amassed 24 appearances for the US Men’s National Team, played in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and spent the entirety of his professional career in Mexico and the US.
When asked for the biggest reasons behind the tournament’s inception, Gomez responded, “Each league would have its own answer. MLS for Liga MX’s popularity and credibility in the USA. An opportunity to convert both diehards and casuals to a very lucrative product – USA vs Mexico. MLS vs Liga MX. Liga MX wants to desperately copy many of the models and business practices in MLS, and sees the benefit of learning from these lucrative practices. For Liga MX, the incentive was money and exchanging of business practices which in turn leads to more money.”
What’s new about the 2023 Leagues Cup?
For the first time in the history of the competition, all MLS and Liga MX teams (47 total) will compete in the tournament, with both leagues taking a pause in their respective seasons to compete. In a World Cup-style tournament, the two teams that reach the Leagues Cup Final as well as the team that wins the third-place match will earn berths to the 2024 Concacaf Champions League, with the winner automatically advancing to that tournament's Round of 16. It will be held from July 21 to August 19, with all 77 matches being played in the United States or Canada.
Are there any unique rules about the tournament?
Each team will play a total of three group stage matches, earning three points for regulation wins and zero points for regulation losses. If the match is tied after 90 minutes, the two teams go to the penalty shootout where the winner earns two points and the loser picks up one point. Teams will be ranked by league using the 2022 Supporters' Shield standings for MLS and the 2022 aggregate table for Liga MX. Whilst the champions of each league will receive a bye, the top 15 remaining teams from each league will be placed into groups based on ranking and in reverse order (for example, the 2nd ranked MLS clubs is drawn against the 16th ranked Liga MX club). The remaining teams (13 MLS and 2 Liga MX) will be drawn into groups and divided into geographical regions – St. Louis CITY will be playing in the Central 1 group.
Where are the matches going to take place?
All of the matches will take place in the United States or Canada. If an MLS club advances to a Round of 32 match against a Liga MX side, they will host that match. If an MLS club goes up against another MLS club, the group winner will host the match. Round of 32 matches between two LIGA MX clubs will be hosted at a regional venue designated by the Organizing Committee. Starting with the Round of 16, matches between two MLS clubs will be hosted by the club with the better 2022 regular season performance, whilst matches between two LIGA MX clubs will be hosted at a venue designated by the Organizing Committee.
The pool of regional venues for matches between two LIGA MX clubs during the knockout round are as follows:
West: BMO Stadium (Los Angeles, CA), Dignity Health Sports Park (Carson, CA), America First Field (Salt Lake City, UT), PayPal Park (San Jose, CA)
Central: SeatGeek Stadium (Bridgeview, IL), Toyota Stadium (Frisco, TX), DICK’S Sporting Goods Park (Commerce City, CO), Shell Energy Stadium (Houston, TX)
South: Q2 Stadium (Austin, TX), Toyota Stadium (Frisco, TX), Exploria Stadium (Orlando, FL)
East: Red Bull Arena (Harrison, NJ), Subaru Park (Chester, PA), Audi Field (Washington, D.C.)
Knockout Round match locations and kickoff times will be announced at the conclusion of the Group Stage.
What is the tournament’s schedule and format?
The Leagues Cup’s group stage runs from July 21 to July 31. Every team will face off in a round-robin format, with the tournament seeing 15 groups of three compete against each other – for example, St. Louis CITY will be going up against Club América and Columbus Crew. Two teams will receive an automatic bye to the Round of 32 – the MLS Cup 2022 winner and the 2022 Clausura or 2022 Apertura champion with the highest aggregate points accumulated across 2022 will qualify automatically for the Round of 32 (LAFC and Pachuca).
From there, we move onto the single-game elimination knockout rounds – the Round of 32 will take place on August 2–4 with the winners of each group as well as LAFC and Pachuca facing off against the second-placed teams. The Round of 16 will take place on August 6–8, the Quarterfinals on August 11–12, the Semifinal matches on August 15, whilst the third-place match and Final will take place on August 19.
How can I watch the Leagues Cup?
Fans in more than 100 countries and regions will be able to watch the Leagues Cup on MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app, whilst TelevisaUnivision, FOX Sports, TSN and RDS will be the linear broadcast home for select Leagues Cup matches in the United States and Canada.
