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Sports Desk • Soccer

Leagues Cup

Leagues Cup is an annual Concacaf-sanctioned club soccer competition between Major League Soccer (MLS) and Liga MX teams in North America.

Updated August 1, 20261 min readCited sources

Leagues Cup is an annual Concacaf-sanctioned club soccer competition between Major League Soccer (MLS) and Liga MX teams. The current format features 36 clubs in a fully interleague tournament.

What is Leagues Cup?

Leagues Cup is a North American club soccer tournament sanctioned by Concacaf, bringing together teams from MLS and Liga MX. Established in 2019, it has since expanded into a larger interleague competition. The 2026 edition is scheduled from August 4 to September 6.

Tournament structure

The modern format includes all 18 Liga MX clubs and 18 MLS teams that qualify through league performance. The competition uses group-stage and knockout rounds, with the exact structure varying by year. Columbus Crew won the 2024 edition, defeating LAFC in the final.

Broadcasting and Canadian angle

Matches are available live through the Apple TV app via MLS Season Pass, with no blackouts in many markets. Canadian MLS clubs such as Toronto FC, CF Montréal, and Vancouver Whitecaps FC may qualify, making the tournament relevant to Canadian fans. The 2026 field includes Vancouver Whitecaps FC.

In short

  • Annual Concacaf-sanctioned tournament between MLS and Liga MX clubs.
  • Current format: 36 teams (all 18 Liga MX + 18 qualifying MLS clubs).
  • 2026 edition runs August 4 to September 6.
  • Streamed on Apple TV / MLS Season Pass with no blackouts.
Canadian angle

Leagues Cup includes Canadian MLS clubs when they qualify, so Canadian fans may follow CF Montréal, Toronto FC or Vancouver Whitecaps FC depending on the edition. The tournament is also relevant to Canadian viewers because it is available in Canada through Apple TV and MLS Season Pass.[2][12][14]

Quick questions

What is the Leagues Cup?
Leagues Cup is an annual Concacaf-sanctioned soccer tournament between clubs from Major League Soccer and Liga MX.
How does the Leagues Cup work?
In its current format, 36 clubs compete in a fully interleague tournament: all 18 Liga MX teams and 18 MLS clubs that qualify for that edition.
Is Leagues Cup on Apple TV?
Yes. Leagues Cup matches are presented live through the Apple TV app, with MLS Season Pass used for the competition’s streaming coverage.

Sources

  1. Leagues Cup — https://www.leaguescup.com/about/
    Supports: Official description of the competition, current 36-club format, Concacaf sanctioning, and Apple TV distribution.
  2. Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leagues_Cup
    Supports: General description of the competition as an annual MLS-Liga MX tournament hosted in Canada and the United States.
  3. Yahoo Sports — https://sports.yahoo.com/leagues-cup-explaining-mls-vs-130102877.html
    Supports: 2024 tournament start date, format notes, and broadcast information.
  4. MLSsoccer.com — https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/leagues-cup-2025-guide-everything-fans-need-to-know-questions-answered
    Supports: 2025 tournament format, participating clubs, and Apple TV/MLS Season Pass coverage.
  5. Leagues Cup — https://www.leaguescup.com/news/leagues-cup-2026-set-to-be-played-august-4-september-6-participating-clubs-announced
    Supports: 2026 dates, 36-club field, qualifying MLS clubs, and official 2026 participant lists.