The Rise of the Leagues Cup: Uniting Football Leagues, Showcasing Talent, and Shaping the Future of the Game.

The Leagues Cup: A New Era for North American Soccer

The 2023 Leagues Cup is set to be a groundbreaking event, marking the first time that every club from Major League Soccer (MLS) and Mexico’s Liga MX will compete in a World Cup-style tournament. This month-long competition aims to determine the best club team from the USA, Canada, and Mexico. The collaboration between the two biggest North American soccer leagues has generated significant excitement, particularly with the debut of Lionel Messi for Inter Miami scheduled for the first day of group stage play.

What is the Leagues Cup?

The Leagues Cup is an annual competition that brings together clubs from Liga MX and MLS in a month-long, knockout-style tournament. While the competition was first introduced and debuted in 2019, this year’s edition marks the first full-fledged version, featuring all 47 clubs from both leagues. The winner of the Leagues Cup will earn a qualifying slot into the following season’s CONCACAF Champions Cup. The previous two editions of the tournament in 2019 and 2021 had fewer teams and did not offer a competitive reward for the winner. The 2022 edition was staged as a “showcase,” with no official champion crowned. Therefore, the 2023 edition feels like the true inaugural edition of the Leagues Cup.

How does the Leagues Cup work?

The format of the 2023 Leagues Cup consists of a group stage followed by a knockout stage. To accommodate the unusual number of 47 participating clubs, they were sorted into 15 small groups of three teams each, taking geographical considerations into account. The top MLS teams were paired with the lowest-ranked Mexican clubs and vice versa. An unseeded club based on geography was added to each group, resulting in groups of three teams.

The teams in each group will compete in a round-robin format, with the top two finishers advancing to the single-elimination knockout stage. The bottom team in each group will be eliminated. In the case of tiebreakers, goal differential, goals scored, goals conceded, fair play points, and drawing of lots will be used. The defending champions of each league, LAFC and Pachuca, receive a bye directly to the knockout stage.

The group stage will eliminate 15 clubs, leaving 30 teams to join the two defending champions in the Round of 32. The knockout stage will follow a traditional single-elimination format, with matches going straight to penalty shootouts if tied after 90 minutes.

Leagues Cup Groups, Schedule, and Dates

All matches of the Leagues Cup will be played in the USA and Canada, with MLS clubs serving as hosts for every game in both the group stage and knockout stage. In matches involving two Liga MX clubs, an MLS stadium will host the match based on regional proximity.

The schedule for the 2023 Leagues Cup is as follows:

– Group Matchday 1: July 21-23
– Group Matchday 2: July 25-27
– Group Matchday 3: July 29-31
– Knockout Round of 32: Aug. 2-4
– Round of 16: Aug. 6-8
– Quarterfinals: Aug. 11-12
– Semifinals: Aug. 15
– Final & 3rd Place: Aug. 19

There are 15 groups in the 2023 Leagues Cup, with each group consisting of three teams. The seeded teams in each group will serve as hosts for matches involving two MLS clubs. The group winners and runners-up will advance to the knockout stage.

How to Watch Leagues Cup

In the USA, select Leagues Cup matches will be broadcast in Spanish on cable by TUDN and Univision. For streaming options, viewers can access matches on FuboTV, which offers a free trial for new users. Apple TV will exclusively broadcast the English-language broadcast of the tournament via MLS Season Pass. For international viewers, Apple TV via MLS Season Pass is the go-to streaming platform for Leagues Cup matches.

Leagues Cup 2023 Odds

The current favorites to win the Leagues Cup are Club America and LAFC, representing Liga MX and MLS, respectively. However, an interesting dark horse contender has emerged in the form of Inter Miami, despite their last-place standing in the MLS Eastern Conference. The anticipation of Lionel Messi’s debut with Inter Miami has led to a surge in support for the club in his first competition with them.

Here are the top contenders and their odds to win the Leagues Cup:

– Club America: +1000
– LAFC: +1000
– Inter Miami: +1200
– Tigres: +1200
– Monterrey: +1200
– Philadelphia Union: +1400
– Pachuca: +1600
– Club Leon: +1600
– Seattle Sounders: +2000
– FC Cincinnati: +2000
– Chivas: +2000

Leagues Cup Winners

Since the Leagues Cup has only been held three times, there has been only one official champion thus far. The tournament was initially scheduled to start in 2019 but featured only a select few teams from both leagues. The 2020 edition was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. From 2023 onwards, all 47 top-flight teams from the US and Mexican leagues will compete, and the title winner will earn qualification into the following year’s CONCACAF Champions League.

Here are the previous winners of the Leagues Cup:

– 2019: Cruz Azul (MEX)
– 2020: Canceled due to COVID-19
– 2021: Club Leon (MEX)

While the Leagues Cup is still in its early stages, the expanded format and participation of all clubs from both Liga MX and MLS promise an exciting future for interleague competitions in North American soccer. The tournament provides a platform for teams to showcase their talent and raise the standard of the game in the region. With the addition of high-profile players like Lionel Messi, the Leagues Cup has the potential to become a must-watch event for soccer fans across the continent.