The new and enhanced format will feature exclusively interleague matches between Major League Soccer( MLS) and LIGA MX clubs through the Quarterfinals.
Leagues Cup 2025, in its third edition, will feature 36 clubs total, including all 18 LIGA MX teams, and 18 qualifying MLS teams. The top nine teams in each MLS Conference( Eastern Conference and Western Conference) who participated in the MLS Cup Playoffs from the prior season will qualify.
Leagues Cup 2025 will again award THREE SPOTS in the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup, where the winner will represent the region at FIFA international club competitions.
Per MLS’ new North American cup qualification criteria, MLS expansion club SAN DIEGO FC, set to debut this season, will take the place of Vancouver Whitecaps FC for Leagues Cup 2025.
The official tournament, sanctioned by Concacaf and to be played in the United States and Canada, will kick off Tuesday, July 29, and run through the Leagues Cup Final on Sunday, August 31, crowning the top club among the two premier North American soccer leagues.
New for this year, Leagues Cup 2025 will be played in two rounds: Phase One and the Knockout Rounds. Phase One will feature three consecutive match dates per club to be played between July 29-August 7, and all 54 Phase One matches will be played between MLS and LIGA MX clubs.
The MLS and LIGA MX regular seasons will continue play through the month of August, with most Leagues Cup knockout matches played midweek.
The Leagues Cup Ranking combines MLS and LIGA MX league performance across 34 regular season matches into a unified table. MLS teams will be ranked based on the 2024 MLS Supporters’ Shield standings with San Diego listed last, while LIGA MX clubs will be ranked based on the cumulative 34 matches in the 2024 Clausura and Apertura tournaments.
The top four( 4) clubs from each Leagues Cup leaguespecific table advance to the Quarterfinals. The tables were designed to ensure more interleague matches into the Knockout Rounds.
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Graphic courtesy of CONCACAF