{"id":1564,"date":"2026-03-06T15:01:11","date_gmt":"2026-03-06T15:01:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/1564\/"},"modified":"2026-03-06T15:01:11","modified_gmt":"2026-03-06T15:01:11","slug":"leagues-cup-2026-schedule-stage-set-for-mls-vs-liga-mx-showdowns-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/1564\/","title":{"rendered":"Leagues Cup 2026 schedule: Stage set for MLS vs. LIGA MX showdowns"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Leagues Cup 2026 schedule<\/a> is officially out, setting the stage for this summer’s highly anticipated tournament between MLS and LIGA MX teams.<\/p>\n

\n Games in Mexico<\/p>\n

The rivalry-filled regional tournament, which unfolds from Aug. 4 to Sept. 6 after the 2026 FIFA World Cup<\/a>,\u00a0will feature select matches in Mexico for the first time.<\/p>\n

The top three ranked LIGA MX clubs will collectively host four Phase One matches at their home stadium.<\/p>\n

Toluca FC: Two (2) matches at Estadio Nemesio D\u00edez in Toluca
\nTigres UANL: One (1) match at Estadio Universitario in Nuevo Le\u00f3n\u00a0
\nClub Am\u00e9rica: One (1) match at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City<\/p>\n

Other Phase One games will be held across MLS venues, as happened in the 2023-25 editions of Leagues Cup.<\/p>\n

The next three highest-ranked LIGA MX clubs benefit from a neutral venue match (Cruz Azul) and reduced travel (CF Monterrey and CF Pachuca).<\/p>\n

Knockout Stage venue assignments will be governed by the Leagues Cup tournament regulations and determined at a later date.<\/p>\n

\n Key info<\/p>\n

The tournament features 36 clubs \u2013 all 18 LIGA MX teams and\u00a018 qualified MLS clubs<\/a> \u2013 competing from Aug. 4 to Sept. 6.<\/p>\n

All 54 matches during Phase One, along with the Quarterfinals, will deliver LIGA MX vs. MLS matchups. This format was unveiled in 2025, raising the stakes between rival leagues.<\/p>\n

The fourth edition of the Concacaf-sanctioned tournament will qualify its top three finishers for the 2027 Concacaf Champions Cup<\/a>. The champion earns a direct berth to the Round of 16.<\/p>\n

All matches can be viewed on Apple TV<\/a>, with select games also available via broadcast and cable television partners.<\/p>\n

READ MORE: Which MLS teams will compete?<\/a><\/p>\n

\n Dates to know<\/p>\n

Phase One: August 4 – 13
\nQuarterfinals: August 25 – 27
\nSemifinals: September 1 – 2
\nThird-Place Match: September 6
\nFinal: September 6<\/p>\n

After teams play three Phase One matches against opponents from their rival league, the top four clubs from each league table will advance to the Quarterfinals.<\/p>\n

Leagues Cup will maintain its “No Ties” format. Should a match be tied following regulation time, a penalty shootout will determine the winner.<\/p>\n

Teams earn one (1) point for a regulation tie, two (2) points for a penalty shootout win and three (3) points for a regulation win.<\/p>\n

To reach the Knockout Rounds, teams must finish in the top four in their respective league table. Aside from points, tiebreakers (ex: goal differential) could factor in.<\/p>\n

In the Knockout Rounds, if teams are tied after regulation time, a penalty shootout will determine the winner.<\/p>\n

\n Leagues Cup Rankings & Regions<\/p>\n

Leagues Cup Phase One matches are determined by the Leagues Cup Rankings, as well as by region.\u00a0<\/p>\n

MLS clubs are ranked based on the final 2025 MLS Supporters\u2019 Shield standings. LIGA MX clubs are ranked based on cumulative performance across the Apertura 2025 and Clausura 2025 tournaments.<\/p>\n

Participating clubs are divided evenly into Eastern and Western regions. Each region includes 18 teams divided into three tiers:<\/p>\n

Tier 1: Rank 1-3
\nTier 2: Tank 4-6
\nTier 3: Rank 7-9<\/p>\n

\n Leagues Cup history<\/p>\n

Since the expanded and reimagined League Cup began in 2023, an MLS team has been crowned champion each time.<\/p>\n

2023: Inter Miami CF
\n2024: Columbus Crew
\n2025: Seattle Sounders FC<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Leagues Cup 2026 schedule is officially out, setting the stage for this summer’s highly anticipated tournament between…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1345,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[8,1580,1579,9,1581,7],"class_list":{"0":"post-1564","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-stories","8":"tag-headlines","9":"tag-league-club-news","10":"tag-leagues-cup","11":"tag-news","12":"tag-sendtonews","13":"tag-top-stories"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@news\/116182835683703929","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1564","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1564"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1564\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1345"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1564"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1564"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1564"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}