Cruz Azul will look to lift their third title since May by becoming the first team to win the expanded version of the Leagues Cup against MLS’s best, but they will have to do so without striker Christian Ebere.
The 2026 League Cup begins with round one this week as 36 teams from MLS and Liga MX battle for supremacy over the region in the now annual, month-long tournament. MLS teams have won every title ever since the tournament’s expansion in 2023.
Liga MX teams will try to end MLS’s reign over the Leagues Cup and Cruz Azul are one of the biggest favorites entering the competition. La Máquina are coming off winning the Liga MX Clausura 2026 title, racking up the most points in Mexican soccer in 2025–26 and defeating Toluca to lift the Campeón de Campeones trophy a fortnight ago.
Cruz Azul have one of the most powerful rosters in all of North American soccer and a deep Leagues Cup run wouldn’t be surprising. However, they’ll have to accomplish their mission without Ebere, the man who scored three goals during the team’s charge through the Clausura 2026 playoffs.
Why Christian Ebere Was Denied Entry to The U.S.
Nigerian striker Ebere won’t be able to feature for Cruz Azul during the opening phase of the Leagues Cup due to the U.S. policy enacted under President Donald Trump last December, which added Nigeria to the list of countries facing an almost entire ban from traveling to the United States.
Previously, Ebere wasn’t able to play for Cruz Azul when they traveled to Los Angeles to face LAFC in the first leg of the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinals back in April.
However, Ebere did travel and played against Toluca in the aforementioned Campeón de Campeones, which was held at Carson, Calif on July 25. The 28-year-old forward was able to enter the U.S. after Cruz Azul helped facilitate him a special VISA with the U.S. Embassy in Mexico which was valid for that particular instance.
Cruz Azul tried to help Ebere get a new special permit to travel to the U.S. this time around, but according to TUDN, there were no available appointments at the U.S. Embassy for Ebere to get a special permit—essentially a VISA—in time before the start of the tournament.
Cruz Azul Hope to Have Ebere In Mammoth Inter Miami Clash
Ebere is guaranteed to miss the league phase, where Cruz Azul will face Philadelphia Union, New York City FC and Chicago Fire. If Cruz Azul reach the knockout rounds of the competition for the first time since the format changed, Ebere could potentially feature, with La Máquina helping their player solve his immigration issues as quickly as possible.
But beyond the Leagues Cup, Cruz Azul are confident that Ebere will be able to feature when they travel to the U.S. to face Inter Miami in the 2026 Campeones Cup on Sept. 16, per ESPN.
The game will see the reigning MLS and Liga MX champions battle it out for a trophy, continuing an annual tradition stared in 2018.
It will be the first time Cruz Azul face Inter Miami since the 2023 League Cup, an iconic game given it witnessed Lionel Messi’s debut for the Herons, and what a debut it was. Messi scored a 96th-minute free kick to give Miami all three points to start their charge towards lifting the trophy later that summer.
