Leagues Cup 2023: Everything you need to know

MLS and Liga MX clubs take part in this competition

The Leagues Cup is an annual competition held between the clubs from Major League Soccer and Liga MX. This competition was held for the first time in 2019.

The tournament started with only eight teams and now the competition includes all the teams from both these leagues.

The teams that finish top three qualify for the CONCACAF Champions Cup, with the champion receiving a bye to the Round of 16.

Lionel Messi also made his debut for Inter Miami in this competition.

Format of the Leagues Cup

The first edition in 2019 saw only four teams each from both leagues featuring in the tournament.

From the 2023 edition, the cup will include all the clubs from both these leagues. This means that 47 teams will play against each other and 77 matches will be held. The top 15 teams from each league will be seeded into 15 groups based on their league standings from the previous season, while the remaining teams are drawn based on geographic proximity.

The group stage will have three matches in a round-robin format and two teams will qualify for the knockout stage. Two teams will also receive byes to the knockout stage: the reigning MLS Cup champions and highest-ranked Liga MX champion from either the previous Clausura or Apertura. The knockout stage will be single-elimination on a fixed bracket.

History and previous winners

Cruz Azul won the inaugural competition in 2019 against Tigres UANL. The match was played in Sam Boyd Stadium in Nevada and ended 2-1.

The 2020 edition was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Club Leon of Mexico won the 2021 final 3-2 against the Seattle Sounders FC. The 2022 edition was held as exhibition matches due to fixture congestion.

Leagues Cup telecast details

There is no live telecast of this competition in India. However, there is an exclusive partnership with Apple and the matches will be streamed live on Apple TV+.