2026 Leagues Cup Explainer: What You Need to Know

The Leagues Cup is back, and the 2026 tournament will follow a similar format to the 2025 edition, featuring 36 teams across Liga MX and Major League Soccer, with 18 participants from each of the two domestic leagues.

Unlike past iterations where every club from both leagues competed, the 2026 tournament sees 12 MLS teams absent, as the clubs also balance the U.S. Open Cup, Canadian Championship and Concacaf Champions Cup play.

Here’s everything you need to know about the competition that begins on Aug. 4 and crowns a champion Sept. 6.

Which Teams Are in the 2026 Leagues Cup?

MLS Clubs

Austin FC
Charlotte FC
Chicago Fire FC
FC Cincinnati
Columbus Crew
FC Dallas
Inter Miami CF
LAFC
Minnesota United FC
Nashville SC
New York City FC
Orlando City
Philadelphia Union
Portland Timbers
Real Salt Lake
San Diego FC
Seattle Sounders FC
Vancouver Whitecaps FC

Liga MX Clubs

Atlas FC
Atlante FC
Atlético San Luis
Club América
Chivas de Guadalajara
Cruz Azul
FC Juárez
Club Léon
CF Monterrey
Club Necaxa
CF Pachuca
Club Puebla
Pumas UNAM
Club Querétaro
Tigres UANL
Club Tijuana
Toluca FC
Santos Laguna

Click here for the full Leagues Cup 2026 schedule

When Is the 2026 Leagues Cup?

Phase One: Aug. 4 - Aug. 7
Quarterfinals: TBD
Semifinals: TBD
Final and Third Place Match: Sept. 6

How Does the 2026 Leagues Cup Work?

The champion takes home the Leagues Cup trophy. | Caleb Bowlin/Getty Images

The 2026 edition of the Leagues Cup will be a split-table competition, featuring an MLS table and a Liga MX table, which leads into a knockout bracket from the quarterfinals through to the championship match and third-place match.

Phase One will feature cross-league competition, with an MLS club facing a Liga MX team in each of three total games per team, earning points toward their respective league tables. Each game will award a traditional three points for a win; however, matches knotted at full time will advance to a penalty shootout, with the winner claiming two points and the loser earning one.

Following the competition of the Phase One matches, the top four clubs in each table advance to the knockout round. With this format, no two teams from the same league can meet until the semifinal.

The Leagues Cup grants three qualification spots for the 2027 Concacaf Champions Cup, one for the champion, runner-up and third-place finisher. The champion secures advancement straight to the round of 16 of that competition.

What’s New in the 2026 Leagues Cup?

MLS Leagues Cup — MLS teams have dominated Leagues Cup in recent seasons. | Alika Jenner/Getty Images

The 2026 Leagues Cup looks very similar to the one the Seattle Sounders won in 2025, with one major difference: matches in Mexico. Liga MX clubs will host four games this season, marking the first time since the tournament’s inaugural edition in 2019 that games will make their way south of the U.S.-Mexico border.

Liga MX Matches in Mexico

Date	Fixture	Location	Stadium
Aug. 5, 2026	Deportivo Toluca vs. Seattle Sounders	Toluca, Mexico	Estadio Nemesio Díez
Aug. 11, 2026	Tigres UANL vs. Vancouver Whitecaps	Nuevo León, Mexico	Estadio Universitario
Aug. 12, 2026	Deportivo Toluca vs. FC Dallas	Toluca, Mexico	Estadio Nemesio Díez
TBD	Club América vs. San Diego FC	Mexico City	Estadio Azteca

What Happened in 2025?

The 2025 Leagues Cup was one for the history books as the Seattle Sounders claimed their first title with a heated 3–0 win over Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami in front of a record crowd of 69,314 at Lumen Field.

Miami entered the match amid struggling summer form, after falling to Vancouver in the Concacaf Champions Cup semifinals. For a club with massive intentions, it felt like a must-win, especially as Messi had not won a trophy in 2025 for either club or country. Those efforts fell exceptionally short, as Seattle’s Osaze De Rosario and Alex Roldan pushed the Rave Green to victory.

Following the final whistle, both teams got into physical altercations, with Miami striker Luis Suárez appearing to spit at a Seattle staff member. His actions led to a three-game MLS suspension and a six-game Leagues Cup ban, which will see him miss the entire 2026 tournament.

Who Has Won the Leagues Cup in the Past?

Year	Champion
2025	Seattle Sounders
2024	Columbus Crew SC
2023	Inter Miami CF
2022	Not played
2021	Club Léon
2020	Cancelled
2019	Cruz Azul

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