90min

2023 Leagues Cup details announced

By Lizzy Becherano

Liga MX president Mikel Arriola and MLS commissioner Don Garber announce Leagues Cup details.
Liga MX president Mikel Arriola and MLS commissioner Don Garber announce Leagues Cup details. / Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports
facebooktwitterreddit

The 2023 Leagues Cup tournament will see 15 groups with Major League Soccer and Liga MX teams compete in a 'World Cup-style' competition from July 21 to August 19. 

For the first time ever, all teams from both leagues will compete in the month-long event. 

The groups each contain three teams, and stand divided by four different regions: West (three groups), Central (four groups), South (four groups) and East (four groups).

The reigning MLS and Liga MX champions will not participate in the group stage and advance directly to the knockout round of 32. The competition’s top three finishers will qualify for the 2024 Concacaf Champions League, with league competition paused. 

The match schedule and bracket were finally announced, here’s everything you need to know: 

Key dates

  • Group stage: July 21 - July 31
  • Round of 32: August 2 - August 4
  • Round of 16: August 6 - August 8
  • Quarterfinals: August 11 - August 12
  • Semifinals: August 15
  • Third Place: August 19
  • Final: August 19

Group stage

Automatic qualifiers

Two teams have qualified directly into the Round of 32 for their performance last year.

  • LAFC: MLS Cup 2022 champion
  • Pachuca: LIGA MX champion; most combined points accumulated across the 2022 Clausura and Apertura seasons

15 groups

Per league rules, the place of the top 15 MLS teams was determined by their matching region and their position in the 2022 Supporters’ Shield standings. Liga MX teams were then ranked by the aggregate 2022 table, and placed into the groups through reverse order so that the number 1 team would be placed with the number 15 side from the American league. 

The remaining MLS clubs were placed into their matching region first and then organized into the groups by their position in the Supporters' Shield standings.

All clubs will play two games each, with a group stage schedule set to be revealed at a later time. 

Knockout Rounds

  • The top two teams from each group will advance to the Round of 32.
  • The top advancing club from each group will face a second-place team from a group in their same region.

Where Bye teams enter

  • Pachuca enters the South region.
  • LAFC enters the West region.

2023 Leagues Cup groups

West

West 1: Tigres UANL, Portland Timbers, San Jose Earthquakes

West 2: Monterrey, Real Salt Lake, Seattle Sounders FC

West 3: LA Galaxy, Club Leon, Vancouver Whitecaps FC

Central

Central 1: America, Columbus Crew, St. Louis CITY SC

Central 2: Puebla, Minnesota United FC, Chicago Fire FC

Central 3: Chivas Guadalajara , FC Cincinnati, Sporting Kansas City

Central 4: Nashville SC, Toluca, Colorado Rapids

South

South 1: Austin FC, Mazatlan FC, FC Juarez

South 2: Santos Laguna, Orlando City SC, Houston Dynamo FC

South 3: Cruz Azul, Inter Miami CF, Atlanta United

South 4: FC Dallas, Necaxa, Charlotte FC

East

East 1: Philadelphia Union, Club Tijuana, Queretaro

East 2: CF Montreal, Pumas, D.C. United

East 3: New York City FC, Atlas, Toronto FC

East 4: New York Red Bulls, Atletico de San Luis, New England Revolution