MLS, Liga MX reveal new Leagues Cup tournament details

Major League Soccer and Liga MX announced details for the Leagues Cup. The interleague tournament debuts next summer involving all 47 teams from the two competitions. Therefore, fans in Mexico and the United States find out the top team between the two.

Much like the World Cup, the Leagues Cup features a group stage. Then, there are two knockout rounds. Two teams, one from MLS and one from Liga MX, receive a bye and skip the group stage.

The reigning MLS Cup champion will receive one bye, while the Mexican club with the most combined points between the Clausura 2022 and Apertura 2022 gets the other.

Group stage placement for MLS teams comes from the 2022 Supporters’ Shield standings. The top 15 MLS clubs will be placed in groups depending on seeding and region. These teams will also host two group stage matches.

Similarly, Liga MX teams will also have their top 15 teams based on Clausura and Apertura final standings as well. The 15th-ranked Liga MX will be put into a group with the number one MLS team and so on.

The remaining 13 teams will split up into the groups based on geographic regions. These clubs only host one match per group stage.

2023 Leagues Cup details

No games end in a tie in the tournament. Group stage teams each receive one point if the game is tied after 90 minutes. However, games ending level after 90 minutes go to a penalty shootout. The winner of the spot kicks receives an additional point.

As two teams from each group qualify for the next phase, the knockout round will start with 32 teams. There will be a single elimination phase until the tournament is completed. The top three finishers in the Leagues Cup will also automatically qualify for the CONCACAF Champions League.

The tournament is set to run from July 21 to August 19th of next summer. As Apple and MLS have entered a partnership, all matches will be streamed on the AppleTV app.

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