(From left) FC Dallas’ Logan Farrington, Herman Johansson, Petar Musa and Ramiro.
Photos/Getty Images; Michael Hogue/Staff Artist
On Wednesday, FC Dallas will open its participation in Leagues Cup, a tournament that since its creation has sparked debate over its format and the point in the calendar in which it is played.
Leagues Cup is an annual Concacaf‑sanctioned competition where MLS clubs face Liga MX clubs in a monthlong tournament.
To stage the Leagues Cup, MLS and Liga MX pause their domestic competitions — a decision that has fueled criticism among fans who oppose interrupting league play.
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Additionally, Leagues Cup has been played exclusively in U.S. stadiums, pushing Mexican clubs into extensive travel, which has raised questions about competitive fairness. The format has evolved, and in 2026 MLS clubs will compete in Mexico for the first time.
It’s a shift that not only answers some of the tournament’s long‑standing critiques but also deepens a rivalry that now stretches across both sides of the border, setting the stage for a more immersive clash.
‘Disrupts the rhythm’
Phase One of the tournament requires MLS and Liga MX to halt their regular seasons for two weeks — a disruption many fans struggle to accept.
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“That doesn’t happen anywhere else in the world. I don’t see top European leagues stopping their seasons for such an extended time to play an interleague tournament,” said Jahir Martínez, a devoted supporter of both FC Dallas and Chivas de Guadalajara.
Related: FC Dallas vs. Chivas match moved to California, leaving local fans disappointed
Javier García, a Fort Worth resident who closely follows both MLS and Liga MX, believes the Leagues Cup should be played after both leagues have completed their regular seasons.
“Leagues Cup disrupts the rhythm of both leagues — especially this year, when the World Cup already forced a two‑month pause in MLS play,” García said.
On the other hand, he said the decision to have MLS teams travel to Mexico and face Liga MX clubs in their home stadiums is a change that will ultimately strengthen the tournament.
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“It’s going to be very interesting to see how FC Dallas performs on its trip to Toluca, against a major club that is almost unbeatable at home,” he said.
Related: FC Dallas faces daunting restart after World Cup, with seven road matches ahead
Although he criticizes the tournament’s timing, Martínez considers the Leagues Cup an appealing competition because it gives fans the chance to watch Mexican clubs up close — teams he believes still possess greater tactical sophistication than most MLS sides.
He added that the Leagues Cup has pushed MLS clubs to raise their level, but offers few meaningful benefits to Liga MX.
“Bringing Mexican teams to U.S. stadiums helps attract new fans to MLS, but in reality, the Leagues Cup does very little for Liga MX,” he said. “Sooner or later, Mexican clubs are going to ask themselves, ‘Why should we keep playing this tournament?’”
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Economic impact
The Leagues Cup represents a clash between the two leagues that dominate the soccer market within Concacaf, the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football.
According to Transfermarkt, MLS and Liga MX clubs occupy the top 47 spots for player market valuation in the region.
Guadalajara leads the list with a cumulative total of $124 million.
Club América follows at $112 million, and Inter Miami CF of MLS ranks third at $103 million.
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The first club outside MLS and Liga MX appears at No. 48: Alajuelense of Costa Rica at $12 million.
In that same ranking, FC Dallas sits at No. 27, with a total of $50 million.
Related: FC Dallas resets its identity as it opens a new MLS season, aiming to win ‘lots of games’
The commercial partnership between MLS and Liga MX delivers benefits in exposure, marketing reach and financial return, especially considering that, according to a recent Global Web Index study, nearly 40% of soccer fans in the United States follow both MLS and Liga MX.
Interest in the Leagues Cup reached its highest point last year, when the final drew 69,000 fans to Seattle’s Lumen Field, where the Sounders defeated Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami CF 3–0.
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“When you see what these games mean — the passion for it and the energy around it — it makes a great market for Major League Soccer,” FC Dallas president Dan Hunt said.
Hunt views the tournament as a valuable opportunity to face high‑quality Mexican opponents with large followings in the United States.
“We need to face more opponents like this — different opponents — because it will continue to elevate our own domestic league,” Hunt said.
MLS growth
Beyond its commercial impact, the Leagues Cup has become a competitive benchmark for measuring MLS clubs’ growth on the field. In the most recent edition, MLS teams recorded 28 victories, compared to 26 from Liga MX clubs.
“We’ve come a long way as a league and have become highly competitive against top Liga MX brands like América, Chivas or Toluca,” Hunt said. “Having those clubs here — and having real success against them in recent years — is a very positive thing.”
For FC Dallas coach Eric Quill, Leagues Cup represents a new experience. The club did not participate in recent editions, making this his first international tournament with FCD.
“This is a good measuring stick to tackle the argument everybody has about which league is better,” Quill said.
“We want to make sure we’re putting our best product on the field, competing, and making our league stand out. We want our organization to stand out,” he said.
Related: A year of accountability: How FC Dallas’ head coach rebuilt himself while rebuilding a club
Despite criticism directed at Leagues Cup, Hunt believes the tournament strengthens MLS.
“You see what happens in Champions League or Copa Libertadores in South America. Those tournaments provide a different experience for fans and cause clubs to mature in different ways,” he said.
In that context, it’s impossible to forget that Messi’s first match outside Miami after arriving in MLS in 2023 was the Leagues Cup knockout game at Toyota Stadium — a night that has become a golden chapter in FC Dallas history.
Inter Miami midfielder Dixon Arroyo (3) congratulates forward Lionel Messi (10) after he scored over the FC Dallas defense on a free kick during the second half of a Leagues Cup Round of 16 match at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, Aug. 6, 2023.
Tom Fox/Dallas Morning News
Inter Miami CF advanced to the quarterfinals after defeating FC Dallas 5–3 on penalties following a dramatic 4–4 draw.
Related: Lionel Messi says his reception in Frisco vs. FC Dallas was ‘spectacular’
Messi delivered one of his most memorable MLS performances: He scored twice, including the 85th‑minute equalizer — a left‑footed free kick from just outside the box that stunned the crowd — and then calmly buried the first penalty of the shootout.
From that moment on, FC Dallas became permanently woven into the early lore of Leagues Cup.
Looking ahead
One of Leagues Cup’s ambitions is to deepen the rivalry between MLS and Liga MX fan bases, each eager to claim bragging rights over which league is superior.
On Wednesday, FC Dallas will face Querétaro at Texas Health Mansfield Stadium. Three days later, on Aug. 8, FCD meets Chivas de Guadalajara in San José, Calif.. The club will close out Phase One on Aug. 12 with a trip to Mexico to face Toluca.
Related: FC Dallas prepares for second half of 2026 season after facing French superstar Antoine Griezmann
The Leagues Cup will qualify three clubs for the 2027 Concacaf Champions Cup, with the champion earning a direct berth to the Round of 16.
The Champions Cup winner will then advance to the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup.
For FC Dallas, Wednesday’s match against Querétaro marks the beginning of a journey toward a long‑held dream: earning a place in a Club World Cup.
“We want to go into Leagues Cup with ambition, to put ourselves in the mix with all the top names,” Quill said. “We want to turn some heads.”