How much do MLS and Mexican clubs earn in the 2024 Leagues Cup?

On Friday, July 26, the highly scrutinized Leagues Cup will begin. This tournament pits clubs from the United States against those from Mexico and it will be its second edition under this format – Lionel Messi carrying Inter Miami to the inaugural crown in 2023 – featuring all the clubs from both top flight leagues. The opening day will see Pumas UNAM face Austin FC followed by LAFC hosting the Xolos of Tijuana.

Each club will have nearly a week between games (at least in this phase), with various sporting and financial incentives at stake.

The financial rewards for Leagues Cup appearances

According to David Medrano, from Azteca Deportes, these will be the earnings for each team during the first group stage of the tournament:

For each match played, each team will receive $200,000, which will be divided equally: $100,000 for the club and $100,000 for the players. This means that each Mexican club is guaranteed at least $400,000 for their participation in this stage, except for Club América, which, as the current two-time champion of the tournament, has bypassed the group stage and qualified directly for the knockout rounds, the same as the Columbus Crew from MLS.

Additionally, for each match won, there will be an extra bonus of $50,000, meaning that each victory in this stage would earn each team a total of $250,000.

Leagues Cup opens FIFA door

The club that wins the Leagues Cup will automatically qualify for the knockout stage of the next edition of the CONCACAF Champions Cup. This tournament serves as a qualifier to represent the region in the FIFA Club World Cup.