Inter Miami can book Champions Cup return with Leagues Cup title | OneFootball

Winning Leagues Cup earns bragging rights, Champions Cup berth

The 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup didn't go the way Inter Miami hoped, but their disappointing -- and embarrassing -- ouster by rival Nashville SC will make them that much hungrier to raise that elusive trophy at the earliest opportunity. But to raise the Champions Cup, Las Garzas have to be in the tournament.

There are several ways Major League Soccer teams can qualify for the North American federation's most prestigious club competition: Win the MLS Cup; win the U.S. Open Cup; win Leagues Cup; win the Supporters' Shield (best regular-season record); have the best regular-season record in the conference that DIDN'T include the Supporters' Shield winner; finish second or third in Leagues Cup; have one of the best three regular-season records of teams not otherwise qualified.

In Brief

1. Inter Miami begins Leagues Cup play Wednesday against Atlético San Luis; its group also includes Monterrey and Club León;

2. The Leagues Cup winner (from a field of 18 Liga X and 18 Major League Soccer teams) qualifies for the coming year's CONCACAF Champions Cup tournament;

3. Herons' striker Luis Suárez is serving a six-match Leagues Cup suspension for an incident after Inter Miami lost last year's final to Seattle, 3-0, and will not be available during this year's tournament;

4. Inter Miami won the first Leagues Cup championship in 2023 in a classic duel with rival Nashville SC, lifting its first major trophy and qualifying for the first time to compete in the Champions Cup.

5. With 7-to-1 odds, Inter Miami is a slight betting favorite to win the 2026 Leagues Cup.

Inter Miami's first chance to punch its ticket to the 2027 Champions Cup starts Wednesday at home against Atlético San Luis on the first night of Leagues Cup group-stage matches. The Leagues Cup is sponsored by Liga MX and Major League Soccer, the top division leagues in Mexico and the United States and pits all 18 Liga MX' teams against Major League Soccer's playoff qualifiers from last season. Teams are divided into eight groups of four; between Wednesday and Aug. 13, each team will play the other three teams in its group. Group winners will advance to the quarterfinals, to be played Aug. 25-27, with semifinals on Sept. 1 and 2 and the third-place and final matches scheduled Sept. 6.

Miami will play each of its three group matches at Nu Stadium; the Potosinos (Atlético San Luis plays in the Mexican city of San Luis Potosí) on Wednesday, Monterrey on Saturday, and Club León the following Wednesday.

The Herons won their first-ever major trophy -- and qualified for their first Champions Cup competition -- by defeating rival Nashville SC in a thrilling Leagues Cup title match that was decided by penalty kicks in 2023. The following year, they lost to the Columbus Crew 3-2 in the Round of 16 and, in 2025, Seattle embarrassed Inter Miami 3-0 in the Leagues Cup final -- and the Herons embarrassed themselves by starting a post-match brawl that resulted in Luis Suárez receiving a six-match suspension from the tournament and a three-match MLS suspension. The recently in-form striker, with 7 goals and 2 assists in his last four matches, will be unavailable for Inter Miami during this year's Leagues Cup (the Herons will play at most six matches in the competition).

Leagues Cup and Major League Soccer officials suspended Inter Miami striker Luis Suárez for spitting on this Seattle Sounders security official during a fracas the Uruguayan striker started after the Herons lost to Seattle, 3-0, in the 2025 Leagues Cup. | Alika Jenner/GettyImages

According to LasVegasSportsBetting.com, Inter Miami is a slight favorite to win the 2026 Leagues Cup, with 7-to-1 odds at this writing. Vancouver is second (8-1), followed by LAFC (10-1), Nashville and Real Salt Lake (12-to-1) and the Chicago Fire and Toluca (14-1).

The Pink & Black need to win a trophy, or trophies, this year to continue the Messi Project's success. The captain made his Inter Miami debut in the 2023 Leagues Cup, and the Herons have won major hardware in each of his three seasons at Miami: The Leagues Cup, Supporters' Shield, and MLS Cup.

Maybe it's time to win Leagues Cup again, even if it's just a stepping stone to the real goal: Champions of CONCACAF.