Leagues Cup 2026: Everything you need to know about the soccer showdown between MLS and Liga MX

Weeks after hosting the largest World Cup in history, the United States and Mexico are coming together once again to host another exciting soccer tournament: the Leagues Cup. This time, it won't be national teams from around the world facing off, but rather 36 clubs, 18 from Major League Soccer (MLS) and 18 from Liga MX, will battle it out for the trophy. The tournament will take place from Aug. 6 to Sept. 4.

The Seattle Sounders are the defending champion of the competition, having routed Inter Miami 3-0 in the 2025 Leagues Cup final. In this edition, MLS clubs clearly outperformed their Liga MX counterparts: all four semifinalists and, consequently, both finalists were MLS clubs.

Format and schedule

Unlike previous editions, matches will also be held in Mexico this edition. In the first phase, known as Phase One, each club will play three matches against a club from a different league. Each victory achieved in regulation time will be worth three points, while a draw will be worth one point. The winner of a penalty shootout will earn an additional point. This phase will take place from Aug. 4 to 13.

Once Phase One has concluded, the four highest-ranked MLS clubs and the four highest-ranked Liga MX clubs will advance to the quarterfinals, which will be played from Aug. 25 to 27. There will be no matchups between rivals from the same league in this round: the four MLS. clubs will face the four Liga MX clubs.

Next up are the semifinals, scheduled to take place Aug. 1 and Sept. 2. The top two clubs in the competition will play in the final on Sept. 6, the same day set aside for the third-place match.

The champion earns a direct berth to the round of 16 of the 2027 CONCACAF Champions Cup.

Participating clubs

Liga MX will be represented by all 18 of its clubs, while 12 MLS clubs will not compete in the 2026 Leagues Cup.

Liga MX:

MLS:

The 12 MLS clubs that will not be participating are: San Jose Earthquakes, Colorado Rapids, Houston Dynamo, St. Louis City, Los Angeles Galaxy, Sporting Kansas City, New York Red Bulls, New England Revolution, Toronto FC, Montreal Impact, Atlanta United and DC United.