Can a cross-border soccer tournament survive its own growing pains and fan backlash?

Countries & Cities · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: The Leagues Cup pits Major League Soccer against Mexico’s Liga MX in a high-stakes regional competition. While it offers a pathway to the CONCACAF Champions Cup, the tournament has faced intense criticism, schedule congestion, and even boycotts from supporters who view the event as a disruption to traditional domestic play.

The Leagues Cup emerged from a 2018 partnership between Major League Soccer (MLS) and Liga MX, aiming to replace the lost matches Mexican clubs previously found in the Copa Libertadores. The inaugural 2019 edition featured only eight teams, but the competition underwent a massive expansion by 2023, incorporating every club from both leagues. This shift transformed the event into a month-long regional cup, forcing a pause in domestic league play and sparking significant controversy regarding scheduling.

Critics have long labeled the tournament a cash-grab, and the MLS Players Association raised early concerns about the physical toll of summer congestion. The tension peaked when MLS announced plans to skip the U.S. Open Cup to accommodate the Leagues Cup, a move that triggered widespread condemnation and forced a compromise involving reserve teams. Despite these hurdles, the tournament remains a key fixture in the CONCACAF ecosystem, with the top three finishers earning berths in the CONCACAF Champions Cup.

The format has evolved rapidly to balance commercial interests with competitive integrity. After the 2023 and 2024 editions included all 47 clubs, the 2025 iteration contracted to 36 teams—the 18 best MLS clubs and all 18 Liga MX sides—to maximize inter-league matchups. The tournament also employs a unique points system where draws proceed directly to penalty shootouts, awarding two points to the winner and one to the loser. As it continues to navigate boycotts and logistical friction, the Leagues Cup remains a polarizing experiment in North American sports.

The physical trophy itself, unveiled in 2019, is a 22-pound silver bowl standing over 16 inches tall. While the competition has moved from its early days of neutral-site finals in the Las Vegas area to a broader footprint across Canada and the United States, its future depends on whether it can reconcile its ambitious expansion with the demands of traditional domestic soccer calendars.

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