When does Leagues Cup 2026 start and which MLS teams are playing?

Seattle Sounders head into this summer’s Leagues Cup as the defending champion, as Major League Soccer seeks to maintain its stranglehold over the inter-league tournament, which also features clubs from Mexico’s Liga MX.

MLS out to add to Leagues Cup three-peat

A U.S. club has lifted the Leagues Cup trophy in every season since the competition’s expansion in 2023; indeed, the event has witnessed three successive all-American finals. In 2025, the Sounders succeeded Columbus Crew as Leagues Cup winners, beating 2023 champion Inter Miami 3-0 in a dominant title-game display at Lumen Field.

Seattle, Miami and Columbus are all among the 18 MLS teams who qualified for Leagues Cup 2026, courtesy of their positions in the 2025 Supporters’ Shield standings. Representing Mexico, meanwhile, all 18 Liga MX clubs are part of Leagues Cup’s 36-team field this summer.

Leagues Cup 2026 - qualified MLS teams:

• Austin
• Charlotte
• Chicago Fire
• Cincinnati
• Columbus Crew
• Dallas
• Los Angeles FC
• Inter Miami
• Minnesota United
• Nashville
• New York City
• Orlando City
• Philadelphia Union
• Portland Timbers
• Real Salt Lake
• San Diego
• Seattle Sounders
• Vancouver Whitecaps

Leagues Cup 2026 - qualified Liga MX teams:

• Club América
• Atlante
• Atlas
• Atlético San Luis
• Chivas Guadalajara
• Cruz Azul
• Juárez
• León
• Monterrey
• Necaxa
• Pachuca
• Puebla
• Pumas
• Querétaro
• Santos Laguna
• Tigres
• Tijuana
• Toluca

Leagues Cup 2026 - format overview:

Leagues Cup 2026 kicks off on Tuesday, August 4, signalling the start of an opening, round-robin stage that lasts for 10 days. Phase one exclusively comprises MLS vs Liga MX clashes, with each club playing four games each. A side’s results are ranked in an 18-team table that only features clubs from its own domestic league.

In each of the two phase-one tables, the top four teams qualify for the knockout stages, which begin with the quarterfinals on Tuesday, August 25. After the semifinals a week later, Leagues Cup 2026 concludes with the final and third-placed playoff on Sunday, September 6.

No ties allowed

In the league phase, games must have a winner: if a match finishes in a tie, the clash is settled by a penalty shootout. Two points are awarded to the team that prevails from the spot, with one given to the shootout loser. In the knockout stages, which are to be played in a single-elimination format, there is no extra-time if games are level at the final whistle. The contest will go straight to penalties.

While Leagues Cup 2026 games will chiefly be played in the U.S., some will also be staged in Canada and, for the first time since the competition’s 2023 revamp, in Mexico.

Leagues Cup 2026 - at-a-glance schedule:

• League phase: August 4-13
• Quarterfinals: August 25-27
• Semifinals: September 1-2
• Third-place playoff: September 6
• Final: September 6

Who’s playing who on Leagues Cup matchday one?

Tuesday, August 4

• 7:30 p.m. ET: Cincinnati vs Pachuca - TQL Stadium, Cincinnati
• 7:45 p.m. ET: Columbus Crew vs Atlas - ScottsMiracle-Gro Field, Columbus
• 8:00 p.m. ET: Charlotte FC vs Pumas - Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte
• 8:30 p.m. ET: Minnesota United vs Juárez - Allianz Field, Saint Paul
• 10:00 p.m. ET: Tigres vs Real Salt Lake - America First Field, Sandy
• 10:30 p.m. ET: Vancouver Whitecaps vs Mazatlán - BC Place, Vancouver

Wednesday, August 5

• 7:30 p.m. ET: Inter Miami vs Atlético San Luis - Nu Stadium, Miami
• 7:30 p.m. ET: Monterrey vs Orlando City - Inter.co Stadium, Orlando
• 8:30 p.m. ET: Nashville SC vs Club León - Geodis Park, Nashville
• 8:30 p.m. ET: Dallas vs Querétaro - Texas Health Mansfield Stadium, Mansfield
• 10:00 p.m. ET: Toluca vs Seattle Sounders - Estadio Nemesio Díez, Toluca
• 10:30 p.m. ET: Los Angeles FC vs Chivas Guadalajara - BMO Stadium, Los Angeles

Thursday, August 6

• 7:30 p.m. ET: New York City vs Santos Laguna - Sports Illustrated Stadium, Harrison
• 8:00 p.m. ET: Cruz Azul vs Philadelphia Union - Subaru Park, Chester
• 8:30 p.m. ET: Chicago Fire vs Necaxa - SeatGeek Stadium, Bridgeview
• 9:00 p.m. ET: Austin FC vs Tijuana - Q2 Stadium, Austin
• 10:00 p.m. ET: Club América vs San Diego - Estadio Azteca, Mexico City
• 10:30 p.m. ET: Portland Timbers vs Puebla - Providence Park, Portland

Check out the full phase-one schedule on the Leagues Cup website. You can also peruse some of the opening round’s must-see matchups in this league-phase guide.

Does the Leagues Cup winner qualify for the CONCACAF Champions Cup?

Yes: Not only the winner, but also the runner-up and the third-placed team. The Leagues Cup 2026 champion will earn a direct ticket to the last 16 of the 2027 Champions Cup, while the silver and bronze medalists will go into round one of CONCACAF’s elite competition.

How to watch and stream Leagues Cup in the U.S.

You can watch every Leagues Cup 2026 game on the subscription streaming service Apple TV. Per the tournament’s organizers, certain matches will also be broadcast in the U.S. on TelevisaUnivision and FOX Sports.

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