The Leagues Cup may be a relatively new fixture on the soccer calendar, but the rivalry it is built on is decades old.
For many years, clubs from Major League Soccer and Mexico’s Liga MX have crossed paths in the CONCACAF Champions Cup (previously known as the CONCACAF Champions League), producing some fiery encounters. These clashes were the spark that led to the creation of the Leagues Cup.
There was already a rivalry there, so why not create a competition which pitched the two biggest leagues in North America against each other?
It first ran in 2019 and was initially a small invitational competition – only eight teams competed. It has expanded in scope since then though, going through several format changes along the way.
This constant changing means the competition still hasn’t settled into a rhythm, which hasn’t eased the scepticism with which some fans view the Leagues Cup. However, fan interest is growing, and the clubs themselves certainly take it seriously. It’s another chance at silverware, and all clubs want to win trophies.
New Format from 2025
As I said, the structure and format have changed a lot since 2019, and as of 2025, it changed again.
A new format was introduced to reduce the number of teams, to tighten the schedule, and to provide more balance between the leagues. Instead of including all teams from both leagues and putting them in small groups of 3 as they had done previously, now, just 36 teams take part:
- 18 MLS teams – These are selected based on qualification for the Playoffs the previous year. So the top 9 teams from each conference.
- 18 Liga MX teams – There are only 18 teams in Liga MX, so they all get a spot.
The new setup also ensures there will be more inter-league matches played, so MLS clubs will be less likely to play each other and much more likely to play clubs from Liga MX. This is to increase the stakes and the rivalry between the leagues. It’s also way more interesting for fans.
The competition can be seen as having two phases, a seeding phase, and a knock out phase.
Seeding Phase
This phase is designed so that only interleague fixtures take place. Every single game is MLS vs Liga MX.
All 36 clubs are split into two regions, East and West, then broken down further into 3 ‘tiers’ per region. These tiers are based on league performance and contain 6 teams each, 3 from each league. So in theory, all teams should be playing opposition of a similar standard, but from the opposite league to their own.
All clubs play three matches, so in other words, a mid table MLS club will play against 3 mid-table Liga MX clubs. However, although they face opponents from the other league on the pitch, MLS and Liga MX clubs will be ranked in separate, league-specific tables based on how they perform compared to teams from their own league. This will make sense when we come to the Knockout Phase.
There are no ties in the Leagues Cup, it’s a bit like the old MLS shootout era in that respect, so games that end tied in regulation time go to a penalty shootout.
Points are awarded as follows:
- 3 points for a regulation time win
- 2 points for a tie and a shootout win
- 1 point for a tie and a shootout loss
- 0 points for a regulation time loss
The top 4 performing teams from each league will move on from the Seeding Phase to the Knockout Phase. This is why the league-specific points tables exist. Tiebreaker criteria are used if points totals cannot dictate a top 4, starting with goal difference, then goals scored, and so on.
Knockout Phase
The Knockout Phase is more or less like any other competition – the winning team goes through, the loser is out. It begins with the quarter finals, but at this point, the structure still ensures no teams from the same league will face each other.
The quarter final fixtures are arranged in the following way:
- MLS #1 vs Liga MX #4
- MLS #2 vs Liga MX #3
- MLS #3 vs Liga MX #2
- MLS #4 vs Liga MX #1
So cross border rivalry is still alive and well at this point. However, from the semi finals onwards it is possible for teams from the same league to face each other. It just depends on the results from the quarter finals.
After the semi finals there is a game between the losers to decide who comes 3rd and 4th. This is important because the top 3 teams in the Leagues Cup qualify for the CONCACAF Champions Cup. The winner of the final obviously gets the Leagues Cup trophy, but they are not only crowned the most dominant club in North America, they also qualify directly for the Round of 16 in the CONCACAF Champions Cup.
Make no mistake, the stakes in the Leagues Cup are very real.
Previous Winners
Since the Leagues Cup is a new competition there have only been a handful of winners so far. It didn’t run in 2020 either due to COVID, so the list of previous winners is still fairly small:
| Year | Winner | Runner‑up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Cruz Azul | Tigres UANL | 2–1 |
| 2021 | León | Seattle Sounders FC | 3–2 |
| 2023 | Inter Miami CF | Nashville SC | 1–1 (10–9 pens) |
| 2024 | Columbus Crew | Los Angeles FC | 3–1 |
| 2025 | Seattle Sounders | Inter Miami | 3–0 |
As you can see, there is an uneven split between the MLS and Liga MX when it comes to winners and finalists, with Major League Soccer is managing to tip the scales in their favour.
The Leagues Cup was actually Inter Miami’s first ever trophy, so the competition will mean a lot to them, although no team goes into it with indifference. It might be new, but it’s an important part of the soccer schedule nonetheless.