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What is the Leagues Cup? Explaining MLS vs. Liga MX World Cup-style tournament
North America's top two professional soccer leagues once again will halt their respective regular-season competitions for a month to compete in a World Cup-style tournament.
The 2024 edition of the Leagues Cup will kick off with the first group stage games on Friday, July 26 and conclude with the championship game on Aug. 25.
What formerly was an eight-team tournament, the Leagues Cup evolved in 2023 into a 47-team competition featuring every Major League Soccer and Liga MX club. Inter Miami CF, led by Lionel Messi, won the first edition of the expanded competition.
The Leagues Cup is one of three featured tentpole events in the MLS and Liga MX partnership, which also includes three joint All-Star games (2021, 2022 and this year) and the Campeones Cup, the annual showdown of reigning champions from each league (this year it will feature the Columbus Crew against Club America).
MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+ will stream the tournament (though FOX Sports and Univision will broadcast select games on linear television).
What is Leagues Cup?
Before last year's inaugural 47-team tournament included every MLS and Liga MX club, the Leagues Cup was held twice before (2019 and 2021) with limited participation.
The 29 MLS and 18 Liga MX clubs are divided up into 15 groups in two regions: East and West. The group stage starts on July 26 and continues until Aug. 6. The top two finishing teams from each group will advance to the single-elimination knockout rounds, which start on Aug. 7. The championship match will be held Aug. 25.
Automatic qualification to the Round of 16 of the Concacaf Champions League goes to the tournament winner. The Leagues Cup runner-up as well as the third-place match winner also qualify for the Concacaf Champions League.
How do you qualify for the Leagues Cup?
Every MLS and Liga MX team qualified for the 2024 Leagues Cup. However, teams were seeded based on points earned in the previous 34 regular-season matches. MLS teams were ranked based on the 2023 Supporters’ Shield standings, while Liga MX clubs were ranked based on the cumulative 34 matches in the 2023 Clausura and Apertura tournaments.
The Columbus Crew, the 2023 MLS Cup champion, and Club America, the Liga MX team with the most combined points accumulated across the 2023 Clausura and Apertura seasons, earned byes for the group stage and will enter the competition during the knockout stage.
The announcement for Leagues Cup groups took place in January 2024.
Where will the 2024 Leagues Cup be played?
All 77 matches will be held either in the U.S. or Canada, primarily at MLS stadiums.
Knockout round match locations and kickoff times will be announced at the conclusion of the group stage.
Leagues Cup group stage matches will have no ties
A victory in regulation will count as three points. For games tied after 90 minutes, each team will receive one point and the winner of the subsequent penalty shootout will earn an additional point.
Will Lionel Messi play in the Leagues Cup?
It is questionable whether fans will see Lionel Messi on the field during Leagues Cup. Messi was ruled out of the MLS All-Star Game with an ankle injury that he suffered in Argentina's win over Colombia in the Copa America final.
In announcing that Messi and teammate Luis Suarez would miss the All-Star Game, Inter Miami said that "their availability for Saturday's Leagues Cup match will be assessed based on their daily recovery process."
Suarez is dealing with knee discomfort. Messi has been considered week to week with his injury.
Inter Miami opens its Leagues Cup by hosting Liga MX club Puebla on Saturday, and then playing Tigres UANL in Houston on Aug. 3. The knockout rounds start on Aug. 9.
Inter Miami enters the Leagues Cup in first place in the Eastern Conference and as the current leaders in the Supporters' Shield race.
Previous League Cup finals
2023: Inter Miami CF over Nashville SC, 1-1 (Inter Miami won penalty shootout, 10-9)
2021: Club León over Seattle Sounders FC, 3-2
2019: Cruz Azul over UANL Tigres, 2-1
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Leagues Cup 2024: MLS vs. Mexico Liga MX soccer tournament explainer
