It’s fair the say that the Campeones Cup is not considered a major trophy for the MLS club that takes part each year. Nor for the Liga MX club that faces them. Nevertheless, it is a competitive fixture that crowns the champion of champions from Mexico, North America, and Canada.
The competition – if a single match can be classed as a real competition – usually takes place in late September or early October, with the game going straight to penalties if the score is level after 90 minutes.
It was set up for commercial reasons of course, but also to strengthen the MLS vs Liga MX rivalry and provide some sort of direct comparison between the two leagues: our best against your best.
The Campeones Cup was generally well received but fans don’t get too hung up on it. It’s seen as more of a symbolic bridge between the leagues rather than a must win prestigious competition. It doesn’t carry a huge amount of weight but clubs are certainly happy enough to celebrate winning it.
Who Plays?
The MLS team that takes part in the Campeones Cup is the winner of the MLS Cup. Nice and simple.
On the other side of the fixture, is the winner of the Liga MX Campeón de Campeones. It’s slightly more complicated on the Mexican side because they operate a split season. This means there are two trophies for top level Mexican teams to play for in a single year: the Apertura (Opening) and Clausura (Closing).
Without going to deeply into it, in Liga MX, two separate tournaments make up a single season. Both the Apertura and the Clausura have a regular season and a playoff, so it’s possible for two different teams to win each one. This results in the Campeón de Campeones to find an ultimate champion for the season. If the same club wins both the Apertura and the Clausura they are automatically crowned Campeón de Campeones.
However that team is decided, it is they who take on the MLS Cup winner in the Campeones Cup.
List of Campeones Cup Winners
Here is a list of every Campeones Cup winner since it began in 2018.
| Year | Winner | Opponent | Final Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Tigres UANL | Toronto FC | 3–1 |
| 2019 | Atlanta United FC | Club América | 3–2 |
| 2021 | Columbus Crew | Cruz Azul | 2–0 |
| 2022 | New York City FC | Atlas | 2–0 |
| 2023 | Tigres UANL | Los Angeles FC | 0–0 (Tigres won 4–2 on penalties) |
| 2024 | Club América | Columbus Crew | 1–1 (América won 5–4 on penalties) |
| 2025 | Toluca | LA Galaxy | 3–2 |
Note: There was no competition in 2020 due to the COVID 19 pandemic.