Lionel Messi‘s Inter Miami are at risk of being eliminated from the 2026 Leagues Cup before they even take the field for their third group-stage match, after a 1-2 loss to Monterrey severely complicated their path to the knockout rounds.
Messi did not feature in that defeat, sitting out following the passing of his father, Jorge Messi, a day earlier. His absence left Inter Miami without their captain and top scorer as they dropped their second match of the tournament, a result that now puts their qualification hopes in serious jeopardy.
Miami sit on three points through two matches, having opened with a 4-2 win over Atletico San Luis before falling to Monterrey. That leaves them well behind the pace in the MLS table, where six clubs — Austin FC, Charlotte, Chicago Fire, Cincinnati, Columbus Crew and Dallas — already have six points apiece, with LAFC on five and Real Salt Lake on four.
Miami could be mathematically eliminated as early as Tuesday, August 11, one day before their scheduled clash with Club Leon on Wednesday, August 12 at Nu Stadium in Miami.
Omar Gálvez #200 of Monterrey and Casemiro #5 of Inter Miami CF. (Getty Images)
That elimination scenario would require Charlotte, Cincinnati and Columbus to all draw their matches — even if they go on to lose in penalty shootouts — while Real Salt Lake defeat Juarez, a combination that would leave Miami unable to climb into the MLS table’s top four regardless of how they perform against Leon.
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How Leagues Cup qualification works
The tournament is built around two separate 18-team standings tables, one for MLS clubs and one for Liga MX clubs, with only the top four finishers in each table advancing to the knockout rounds.
Points are awarded on a tiered scale: a win in regulation is worth three points, while any match that finishes level after 90 minutes goes straight to penalties, with the shootout winner collecting two points and the loser one.
That system means goal difference and overall points accumulated across all three group-stage matches ultimately decide who advances, rather than head-to-head results within a smaller pool of teams — which is exactly why results from other MLS clubs on Miami’s off day could end their tournament before they even step onto the field against Leon.
