The enlarged, official Leagues Cup tournament, which will comprise all 47 clubs in MLS and Liga MX and send the top three finishers to the Concacaf Champions League, will kick off July 21 with a 45-team group stage. The month-long competition will require an unprecedented pause in both MLS and Liga MX schedules and will conclude with the third-place game and final on Saturday, Aug. 19.
Each of the 77 Leagues Cup matches will be played in the U.S. or Canada.
MLS unveiled some details of the format Thursday. The Leagues Cup concept was introduced initially in 2019, and the first two editions were eight-team exhibition events won by Cruz Azul and León (the 2020 tournament was canceled). A series of inter-league friendlies was scheduled this year as MLS and Liga MX looked ahead to the full, 2023 rollout. Next year’s Leagues Cup will be inclusive and sanctioned by Concacaf, which will conduct an expanded Champions League starting in spring 2024.
