Leagues Cup 2026 Explained | OneFootball

It’s back, baby! Just like Shark Week, that summertime staple that nobody really wanted has returned. It’s Leagues Cup VI, four fewer iterations than the Fast & Furious film franchise.

Hooligan Soccer is happy to provide readers with a brief explainer in our typical tongue-in-cheek fashion.

Is Anything Different?

Nope. Not much has changed in the 2026 edition. The top 18 MLS clubs (as determined by Supporter Shield rankings) from 2025 and all 18 Liga MX teams are included. Phase One (equivalent to the World Cup Group Phase) sees all 36 clubs stack ranked and placed into “eastern” and “western” divisions, then further classified into three “tiers”. 

From each division, three “regional groups” are randomly selected by clubs from within the various tiers, split evenly between the two leagues. So each regional group will have a club from MLS tiers 1 through 3 as well as Liga MX tiers 1 through 3.

Clubs only compete against clubs from the other league, so MLS teams play Liga MX and vice versa.

Still with me?

When Do They Play?

Matches kick off on Tuesday, August 4th. FC Cincinnati vs. Pachuca is the first tie scheduled for a 7:30pm ET / 4:30pm PT kickoff at TQL Stadium. Phase One games will flow thick and fast on this schedule:

How Do Teams Advance?

Matches that end regulation level go immediately to a penalty shootout. A regulation winner earns three points, a shootout winner collects two points, the shootout loser a single point and a regulation loss is zero.

And here’s where the tournament gets interesting….

Only the top four teams from each league will advance into the knockout rounds. After all the stack ranking, tiering and random selection, it will all come down to a simple points-based list. And because many teams will have identical points, here’s the list of tiebreakers (because Hooligan believes in transparency):

What’s a Fair Play Table?

Please don’t ask. It probably has something to do with the number of red and yellow cards a team gets.

Why Are All the Matches Played in the U.S.?

Ah, you noticed that. It’s actually one of the biggest criticisms of the tournament, that the Liga MX teams are essentially forced into three away games over a compressed timeframe. Since 2023, no Liga MX team has placed in the top three.

Pundits will point out that MLS teams are also required to travel and play outside of their home stadiums as well, but still.

This year there was a welcome surprise… the powers-that-be allowed four of the 54 Phase One games to be scheduled in Mexico. That’s 7% of the matches. It’s a start I guess.

What Are They Playing For?

The winner obviously gets a trophy. There’s some prize money as well. The data below is not confirmed, but tracks with what the 2025 tournament offered.

But the real reward for the top three teams is automatic qualification into the CONCACAF Champions Cup tournament the following year.

More Information

The Leagues Cup has a dedicated website here.