2024 Leagues Cup final Columbus Crew - LAFC: What happens in case of a tie?

Columbus Crew and LAFC will fight it out at Lower.com Field in Ohio on Sunday (August 25, 7:15pm ET) for the 2024 Leagues Cup, and to take the trophy from Inter Miami, last year’s winners.

This season’s edition of the competition has thrown up plenty of surprises, including Lionel Messi and Co’s elimination in the round of 16, and Liga MX’s poor performance across the board, with only two Mexico teams reaching the quarterfinals.

Leagues Cup tiebreaker rules

Since the beginning of the knockout rounds, there has been no extra time when matches have ended in a draw, with the tie decided by a penalty shootout. That will again be the case in the final.

The same format was already in play last year, when Inter Miami enjoyed what some might call the ‘Messi bounce’. Indeed, the Floridians lifted the trophy after a 10-9 shootout win over Nashville in the final, having also defeated Dallas on penalties in the round of 16.

In the 2024 tournament, three of the four quarterfinals were decided by penalty shootouts, including the Crew’s triumph over New York City FC. LAFC’s path to the final has been somewhat smoother, with a series of convincing wins.

What happened the last time the Crew played LAFC?

Of course, the final brings together the last two winners of the MLS Cup. Columbus Crew are the current holders after their 2023 victory, although LAFC will be keen to regain the title they won two years ago, boosted by the arrivals of big-name duo Olivier Giroud and Hugo Lloris.

Lloris was in goal for the last MLS meeting between the teams and won’t have especially happy memories of it. The Crew took LAFC apart at BMO Stadium on July 14, with striker Christian Ramirez scoring twice in a thumping 5-1 win for the visitors. A huge psychological boost for the Ohio side, no doubt.

Why is the Leagues Cup final being played in Columbus?

The 2024 Leagues Cup final will be held at Lower.com Field in Columbus, which means the Crew will play at home, much to the displeasure of LAFC.

Throughout the tournament venues for games have been decided using the Leagues Cup ranking. The team with the highest ranking in each game has been given hosting duties, offering them a considerable advantage. The ranking is based on the team’s performances across their last 34 regular season games. As such, 2023 MLS Cup winners Columbus Crew are the highest-ranked team left in this year’s Leagues Cup.

2024 Leagues Cup third-place playoff: teams, venue, date, time...

There will also be a third-placed playoff, in which the Philadelphia Union will face the Colorado Rapids at Subaru Park, also on Sunday (kickoff at 4:30pm ET). The winner will secure the final spot in the 2025 CONCACAF Champions Cup.