Major League Soccer and LIGA MX announced Wednesday the participants and schedule for the 2021 Leagues Cup, the annual single-elimination tournament that will again feature clubs from MLS and Mexico’s top-flight leagues, building on the rivalry between both leagues.
Leagues Cup Teams
- Sporting Kansas City
- Orlando City SC
- Seattle Sounders FC
- New York City FC
- Tigres UANL
- Pumas UNAM
- Club León
- Santos Laguna
Leagues Cup Schedule
QUARTERFINALS
Tuesday, August 10
- QF4: Sporting Kansas City vs. Club León (Children’s Mercy Park – Kansas City, KS), 8 pm ET (TUDN, ESPN2)
- QF3: Seattle Sounders FC vs. Tigres UANL (Lumen Field – Seattle, WA), 10 pm ET (TUDN, ESPN2)
Wednesday, August 11
- QF2: New York City FC vs. Pumas (Yankee Stadium – New York, NY), 8 pm ET (TUDN, ESPN+)
Thursday, August 12
- QF1: Orlando City SC vs. Santos Laguna (Exploria Stadium – Orlando, FL), 7 pm ET (TUDN, ESPN+)
SEMIFINALS
September 14 and 15
- SF1: Winner QF1 vs Winner QF3
- SF2: Winner QF2 vs Winner QF4
FINAL
September 22
The 2021 edition of Leagues Cup will feature four clubs from each league in a single-elimination format. LIGA MX teams joining the 2021 edition of the competition are the top four teams from the overall standings from the 2020-2021 Liga MX season that are not scheduled to participate in the 2021 Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League.
Should Club León win LIGA MX’s Campeón de Campeones 2020-2021 scheduled for July 18, Chivas would replace León as the next best-ranked club in the combined standings, and León would then participate in the 2021 Campeones Cup.
The participating MLS teams are the top two teams from each conference based on the 2020 MLS regular season standing not scheduled to participate in the 2021 Scotiabank Champions League. As was announced in March of this year, the MLS clubs will host the opening Quarterfinal matches of the tournament.
