The United States and Mexico are arguably the two biggest soccer nations in North and Central America. To encourage more competitiveness in these countries, the national soccer bodies of both countries came together and decided to create a Leagues Cup. CONCACAF gave its blessing after the MLS and the Mexican Football Federation created the Leagues Cup. The Leagues Cup is an international club tournament played by teams playing in Major League Soccer (MLS) and Liga MX. More about the Leagues Cup is explored in this comprehensive guide. See also the Campeones Cup.
A Brief History of the Leagues Cup
The inaugural edition of the Leagues Cup was held in 2019. The tournament only featured 8 teams, 4 each from the MLS and Liga MX. The tournament was co-hosted by the United States and Canada with the final being played in Las Vegas.
The Leagues Cup can be attributed as an offspring of the North American Superliga. The North American Superliga ran from 2007 and 2010 and it was played by teams from both MLS and Liga Mx. The Leagues Cup certainly the inaugural edition which featured just a limited number of teams can also be attributed as an offspring of the Campeones Cup, a one-off game played by the winners of the MLS Cup and the winner of the Campeon de Campeones.
The number of participating teams in the Leagues Cup has gradually increased. From the initial 8 in 2019, there were 20 in 2020 to 47 in 2023. All teams in MLS and Liga MX are now eligible to play in the Leagues Cup. Owing to the high number of games to be played, the Leagues Cup is no longer a tournament that’s played in postseason but rather, a break in both the MLS and Liga MX regular seasons is certified to ensure that the preliminary games can be fulfilled.
Leagues Cup Format
2023 is the year that all MLS and Liga MX teams entered in the running to win the Leagues Cup. A total of 47 teams got their chance to advance to the latter rounds of the tournament and possibly win the whole thing. Owing to the high number of teams participating, a new format had to be used for the 2023 edition (and set to remain for the foreseeable future).
Of the 47 teams ready to battle each other at the start of the Leagues Cup, 2 of them were given byes to enter at a later stage. The 2 selected teams that were given byes include Los Angeles FRC, the current MLS Cup holders and Pachuca, the current 2022 Clausura holders. of the remaining 45 teams, 15 groups of 3 teams each were created.
The group stage entailed that each team played the other two teams it was paired with in a one-off game. winning in regulation time guaranteed 3 points to the winner and 0 points to the loser. If a match ended in a stalemate, it proceeded straight to a penalty shootout where the winner received 2 points and the loser 1 point.
The 2 teams with the highest points in the group advanced to the round of 32. The round of 32 is where the winners of the MLS Cup and Liga MX champions entered the Leagues Cup. The round of 32 used a 5-round single-leg knockout format with a third-place match. Points were awarded in the same format as that of the group stage.
Leagues Cup Schedule
The Leagues Cup for the last edition ran for 1 whole month. This is expected to remain the same for the foreseeable future thanks to the high number of teams that now contest in the competition. The group stage matches were played from the weekend of July 21 to 23 and ended on the weekend of July 29 to 31. The knockout stage started on the weekend of August 2 to 4 and culminated with the Final held on August 19 2023.
Leagues Cup Prizes
The winners of the Leagues Cup receive a massive 22-pound silver bowl trophy. They get to keep the original trophy for 12 months after which the next edition of the Leagues Cup is played. If the defending champions fail to defend their title, they will receive a replica trophy to keep in their trophy cabinet as the original trophy is gifted to the new winners.
Another incredible thing about the Leagues Cup is that it now offers an avenue for teams to reach the CONCACAF Champions League. The top three teams all reach the CONCACAF Champions League regardless of their nation. The winner of the tournament receives a bye to start playing at the round of 16 stage.
Top Teams in the Leagues Cup
There isn’t any team that has dominated the Leagues Cup as yet at least in terms of the titles won. The inaugural edition of the tournament was won by Cruz Azul in a final against fellow Liga MX side UANL. The 2020 edition was cancelled owing to the Covid 19 pandemic. Leon became the second Mexican side to win the tournament in 2021 when it defeated Seattle Sounders FC. No champion was crowned for the 2022 edition. In 2023, Lionel Messi inspired Inter Miami CF to win when playing against Nashville SC.
Leagues Cup Interesting Facts
- Despite featuring in just one tournament, Lionel Messi is already the all-time top goal scorer of the Leagues Cup with 10 goals
- From 2019 when it was founded to 2023, the numbers of participating teams in the Leagues Cup has exponentially risen from 8 to 47
- The Leagues Cup has prompted both the MLS and Liga MX to effect one-month breaks in the regular season to help fulfil the Cup fixtures.