Leagues Cup

An unprecedented event in global football, Leagues Cup is the very first two-league tournament sanctioned by the Confederation

• 77 matches in one action-packed month hosted at MLS stadiums throughout the U.S. and Canada
• All 29 MLS clubs and 18 Liga MX clubs club will participate every year
• World Cup style tournament with a Group Stage made up of 4 regions (East, West, South, and Central) followed by Knockout Rounds until one team is crowned the champion
• Officially sanctioned by Concacaf, the top three teams will receive automatic bids into Concacaf Champions Cup with a chance to represent the Confederation at the FIFA Club World Cup

What to Expect

In Leagues Cup, host venues like Lower.com Field are neutral venues and a home for both clubs. The in-stadium fan experience will be different and unique, and some of the usual pre-match ceremonies that happen during a home Crew match will be replaced with ceremonial Leagues Cup rituals.

Leagues Cup is for Everyone

We are committed to ensuring all fans have an enjoyable and safe experience at our Leagues Cup games. We believe that soccer is a game for everyone and should be enjoyed without any offensive behavior. That’s why we’re calling on all our players and fans to join us in eradicating all discriminatory chants.

All patrons must comply with the fan code of conduct, including the prohibition on the use of offensive language. Failure to do so could result in ejection of fans, and pausing, suspending, or ending the match, in which case fans will not receive refunds.

¡Leagues Cup es para todos! Nos esforzamos en que todos los asistentes tengan una experiencia agradable y segura en los partidos de Leagues Cup. Creemos que el fútbol es un juego para todos y debe disfrutarse sin ningún comportamiento ofensivo. Invitamos a jugadores y aficionados para que nos unamos para erradicar los gritos discriminatorios.

Todos los asistentes deben cumplir con el código de conducta del aficionado, incluida la prohibición del uso de lenguaje ofensivo. De lo contrario, podría resultar en la expulsión de los aficionados y pausar, suspender o dar por terminado el partido, en cuyo caso los aficionados no recibirán reembolsos.

Beverages at Lower.com Field

For the safety of fans and players, all bottled and canned beverages in the stadium will be poured into cups after they are ordered/purchased. Please note that when you walk up to the beverage coolers (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic), there will be staff members there to serve fans and pour the beverages into cups.

Group Stage, Seeding and Hosting

Moving forward, the tournament will introduce a tiered Leagues Cup Ranking system, as well as hubs for the highest-ranked LIGA MX clubs. The Leagues Cup ranking will be strictly based on combined MLS and LIGA MX club performance based on points in the last 34 regular season matches. MLS teams will be ranked based on the 2023 MLS Supporters’ Shield standings, while LIGA MX clubs will be ranked based on the cumulative 34 matches in the 2023 Clausura and Apertura tournaments.
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All participating clubs – except the two Leagues’ champions - are divided into three tiers based on the Leagues Cup Ranking (1-15, 16-30, 31-45), forming 15 groups of three clubs each, one club from each tier, prioritizing geographical and competitive balance among the 45 clubs. For 2024, Leagues Cup will be played in two regions, East and West, with seven groups in the East and eight groups in the West, regionalizing travel for all participating clubs. Like the 2023 format, both LIGA MX and MLS Cup champions, Club America and Columbus Crew respectively, receive an automatic bye to the Round of 32. The two champions are not included in the Leagues Cup Ranking.

The LIGA MX Champion and the three top-ranked LIGA MX clubs will be granted hub privileges. The hub privileges, which will minimize LIGA MX club travel and reward them by playing in pre-determined venues as the home team, are based on the Leagues Cup Ranking. Club America (League champion with a bye) will have hosting privileges through the semifinals, C.F. Monterrey (No. 1 rank) through Round of 16, Chivas Guadalajara (No. 4 rank) through Round of 32, and Tigres (No. 6 rank) throughout the Group Stage, rewarding the clubs according to their 2023 Apertura and Clausura performances.

LIGA MX clubs with hub privileges will play at venues to be announced alongside the Leagues Cup 2024 schedule and bracket at a later date.
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This new format, based on the Leagues Cup Ranking, was a joint collaborative effort of the Leagues Cup Organizing Committee, comprising representatives from Leagues Cup, and both MLS and LIGA MX leadership. Considerations included rewarding regular season results and geographical regions while addressing learnings from 2023.

Knockout Rounds: Following the Group Stage, the advancing 30 teams will be joined by LIGA MX and MLS cup champions (Columbus Crew and Club America, respectively) and will be placed in a fixed bracket to compete in the single-game elimination Knockout Rounds beginning with the Round of 32 (16 matches), followed by Round of 16 (eight matches). The eight advancing teams will compete in the Quarterfinals (four matches) before the two Semifinal matches. Leagues Cup 2024 Third Place and Final will determine the three Concacaf Champions Cup qualified clubs.

No Ties: Leagues Cup will maintain its current No Ties format. Each team receives one point if the game is tied after 90 minutes. The winner of the subsequent penalty shootout will earn an additional point. Regulation wins count as three points, with games being decided by penalty kick in case of regular time draw.