The 2026 Leagues Cup will be the sixth edition of the tournament, with this summer’s edition being held from August 4 to September 6. Just like the 2025 edition of the Leagues Cup, this year’s tournament will include 36 teams: the top 18 MLS teams and all 18 Liga MX clubs.
Format and Draw
The 2026 Leagues Cup will consist of a group stage and a knockout stage, with teams playing three games against teams from the other league. This guarantees that all games in Phase One will feature an MLS vs. Liga MX matchup. The top four teams from each league will then advance to the knockout stage.
For this edition’s draw, all 36 teams were placed into a combined ranking based on league results from the previous season.
- Eastern Tier 1: Cruz Azul, Philadelphia Union, FC Cincinnati, Inter Miami CF, Monterrey, Pachuca
- Eastern Tier 2: Charlotte FC, New York City FC, Nashville SC, Necaxa, León, Pumas UNAM
- Eastern Tier 3: Columbus Crew, Chicago Fire FC, Orlando City SC, Atlas, Atlético San Luis, Santos Laguna
- Western Tier 1: Toluca, Tigres UANL, América, San Diego FC, Vancouver Whitecaps FC, Los Angeles FC
- Western Tier 2: Minnesota United FC, Seattle Sounders FC, Guadalajara, Juárez, Austin FC, Tijuana
- Western Tier 3: FC Dallas, Portland Timbers, Real Salt Lake, Querétaro, Atlante, Puebla
The teams were then divided into regional groups, based on the tiers placed, to determine the six groupings for Phase One matches.
- Eastern 1: FC Cincinnati, Pachuca, Charlotte FC, Pumas UNAM, Columbus Crew, Atlas
- Eastern 2: Inter Miami CF, Monterrey, Nashville SC, León, Orlando City SC, Atlético San Luis
- Eastern 3: Cruz Azul, Philadelphia Union, New York City FC, Necaxa, Chicago Fire FC, Santos Laguna
- Western 1: Tigres UANL, Vancouver Whitecaps FC, Minnesota United FC, Juárez, Real Salt Lake, Atlante
- Western 2: Toluca, Los Angeles FC, Seattle Sounders FC, Guadalajara, FC Dallas, Querétaro
- Western 3: América, San Diego FC, Austin FC, Tijuana, Portland Timbers, Puebla
The league stage begins today, August 4, with Matchday 1 taking place over the next three days.
Matchday 1 Schedule
| Team 1 | Date | Team 2 |
| Columbus Crew 🇺🇸 | Aug 4 | 🇲🇽 Atlas |
| FC Cincinnati 🇺🇸 | Aug 4 | 🇲🇽 Pachuca |
| Charlotte FC 🇺🇸 | Aug 4 | 🇲🇽 Pumas UNAM |
| Minnesota United FC 🇺🇸 | Aug 4 | 🇲🇽 Juárez |
| Tigres UANL 🇲🇽 | Aug 4 | 🇺🇸 Real Salt Lake |
| Vancouver Whitecaps FC 🇨🇦 | Aug 4 | 🇲🇽 Atlante |
| Inter Miami CF 🇺🇸 | Aug 5 | 🇲🇽 Atlético San Luis |
| Monterrey 🇲🇽 | Aug 5 | 🇺🇸 Orlando City SC |
| Nashville SC 🇺🇸 | Aug 5 | 🇲🇽 León |
| FC Dallas 🇺🇸 | Aug 5 | 🇲🇽 Querétaro |
| Los Angeles FC 🇺🇸 | Aug 5 | 🇲🇽 Guadalajara |
| Toluca 🇲🇽 | Aug 5 | 🇺🇸 Seattle Sounders FC |
| New York City FC 🇺🇸 | Aug 6 | 🇲🇽 Santos Laguna |
| Cruz Azul 🇲🇽 | Aug 6 | 🇺🇸 Philadelphia Union |
| Chicago Fire FC 🇺🇸 | Aug 6 | 🇲🇽 Necaxa |
| Austin FC 🇺🇸 | Aug 6 | 🇲🇽 Tijuana |
| Portland Timbers 🇺🇸 | Aug 6 | 🇲🇽 Puebla |
| América 🇲🇽 | Aug 6 | 🇺🇸 San Diego FC |
Remaining Schedule/Bracket
- Matchday 2: August 7-9
- Matchday 3: August 11-13
- Quarterfinals: August 25-27
- Semifinals: September 1-2
- Final/Third Place playoff: September 6
The quarterfinal matchups to begin the knockout stage will be:
- MLS 1 vs Liga MX 4
- MLS 2 vs Liga MX 3
- MLS 3 vs Liga MX 2
- MLS 4 vs Liga MX 1
Both clubs that qualify for the final, along with the winner of the third-place playoff, will automatically qualify for the 2027 CONCACAF Champions Cup.
You can watch the Leagues Cup live on Apple TV, which streams all 62 tournament matches globally across the U.S. without blackouts
