Leagues Cup returns better than ever in 2024, with Inter Miami CF and Lionel Messi looking to defend their title.
This World Cup-style tournament features all 47 teams from across Major League Soccer and LIGA MX, pausing domestic competition as cross-border rivalry clashes unfold from July 26 to August 25.
If you're not watching in person, all matches can be viewed via MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
The winner receives the Leagues Cup trophy, which features two bowls, one for LIGA MX and one for MLS, as well as prize money and bragging rights.
The two teams that reach the Leagues Cup final earn berths in the Concacaf Champions Cup, along with the winner of the third-place match.
With Champions Cup spots up for grabs, Leagues Cup success serves as a key pathway towards the FIFA Club World Cup.
- Group Stage: July 26 - August 6
- Round of 32: August 7-9
- Round of 16: August 12-13
- Quarterfinals: August 16-17
- Semifinals: August 20 or 21
- Third Place: August 25
- Final: August 25
The teams are divided into 15 groups of three each. Additionally, two clubs receive an automatic bye into the Round of 32.
- Columbus Crew: MLS Cup 2023 winner
- Club América: Liga MX winner; most combined points accumulated across 2023 Clausura and Apertura seasons
Groups were determined by a ranking system based on every club's points in the last 34 regular-season matches of 2023. Based on these point totals, teams were split into three tiers, with one team from each tier being placed in every group.
East
- East 1: FC Cincinnati, New York City FC, Querétaro FC
- East 2: Orlando City SC, Atlético de San Luis, CF Montréal
- East 3: Tigres UANL, Puebla, Inter Miami CF
- East 4: Philadelphia Union, Charlotte FC, Cruz Azul
- East 5: New England Revolution, Nashville SC, Mazatlán FC
- East 6: Pachuca, New York Red Bulls, Toronto FC
- East 7: Atlanta United, Santos Laguna, D.C. United
West
- West 1: CF Monterrey, Pumas UNAM, Austin FC
- West 2: Chivas de Guadalajara, San Jose Earthquakes, LA Galaxy
- West 3: St. Louis CITY SC, FC Dallas, FC Juárez
- West 4: Toluca FC, Sporting Kansas City, Chicago Fire FC
- West 5: Club León, Portland Timbers, Colorado Rapids
- West 6: Seattle Sounders FC, Minnesota United FC, Club Necaxa
- West 7: LAFC, Vancouver Whitecaps FC, Club Tijuana
- West 8: Houston Dynamo FC, Real Salt Lake, Atlas FC
Leagues Cup features a World Cup-style format where every team plays at least two games. The bracket is split into two sides, East and West. In total, 77 matches are played across the US and Canada.
This season, the LIGA MX champion and the three top-ranked LIGA MX clubs are granted hub privileges. This will minimize travel and reward the clubs with pre-determined venues as the home team. The following LIGA MX clubs have hosting privileges through the…
- Club America (Semifinal)
- CF Monterrey (Round of 16)
- Chivas de Guadalajara (Round of 32)
- Tigres UANL (Group Stage)
If a match is won in regulation, the victor receives three points, while the loser gets zero. If a match ends in a draw, it will go straight to a penalty shootout, with the winning team claiming two points and the losing team a single point (no ties).
In the knockout stages, tied matches go straight to penalty shootouts in single-game elimination battles.
In last year's expanded Leagues Cup, Inter Miami and Nashville SC met in the title tilt at GEODIS Park. Miami took the lead in the 23rd minute, when Lionel Messi danced past defenders and fired a curling, left-footed strike into the upper left corner. Nashville responded in the 57th minute when a Fafà Picault header snuck across the line to even the score at 1-1.
With neither team able to break the deadlock, the match reached a penalty shootout. In the 11th round, Inter Miami goalkeeper Drake Callendar stepped up and buried his penalty in the top-left before denying Elliot Panicco to secure the victory and hand the Herons their first-ever title.
