Leagues Cup 2026 tiebreakers: How teams can advance

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Major League Soccer

·4 Agustus 2026

Leagues Cup 2026 tiebreakers: How teams can advance

By MLSsoccer staff

The Leagues Cup 2026 tiebreakers are as follows, helping determine who advances from Phase One to the knockout rounds.

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Only the top four teams per league table advance; 18 MLS teams are competing alongside all 18 LIGA MX teams.

Tiebreaker procedures

If clubs are tied in points, the club positions in the Phase One league table will be determined via the following:

Greater goal differential between goals scored and goals conceded by the club.
Greater number of wins in match regular time.
Greater number of goals scored by the club.
Fewer number of goals conceded by the club.
Fewer points in the team’s Fair Play Table (below); or
A draw organized by the Organizing Committee.

Fair Play Table

Fair Play Table is a point-based system on which the number of yellow and red cards is counted for players and members of Technical Staff, in accordance with the following:

First yellow card: + 1 point
Second yellow card (i.e., indirect red card): + 3 points (inclusive of the first yellow card)
Direct red card or sporting suspension to players or Technical Staff as determined by the Disciplinary Committee: + 4 points
Yellow card followed by a direct red card: + 5 points

Fair Play Table will count yellow cards, red cards, or sporting sanctions applied by the Disciplinary Committee for violations of the Tournament Regulations, including violations not reported by the match Referees or match officials during a match (i.e. incidents that take place before or after the match).

The Fair Play Table will be available on the tournament's official website.

Key dates

Phase One: August 4-13
Quarterfinals: August 25-27
Semifinals: September 1-2
Third-Place Match: September 6
Final: September 6

Knockout rounds

Like Phase One, all quarterfinal contests will feature only MLS vs. LIGA MX matchups.

The quarterfinal pairings will be decided based on Leagues Cup Phase One performance.

MLS 1 vs. LIGA MX 4
MLS 2 vs. LIGA MX 3
MLS 3 vs. LIGA MX 2
MLS 4 vs. LIGA MX 1

What's at stake?

The winner receives:

The Leagues Cup trophy, featuring two bowls – one for LIGA MX and one for MLS.
Prize money and bragging rights.

In its fourth edition, Leagues Cup 2026 will also award three spots in the 2027 Concacaf Champions Cup – given to both finalists and the Third Place winner.

The Concacaf Champions Cup provides a pathway towards the FIFA Club World Cup and the FIFA Intercontinental Cup.