The third edition of the Leagues Cup is set to kick off between Major League Soccer and Liga MX clubs, with Inter Miami's Lionel Messi stealing the headlines.
The 2023 edition will see 47 sides from the two North American leagues - 29 from MLS and 18 from Liga MX - face off in a unique style tournament designed to help generate more exposure for both leagues. The arrival of Messi, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba will only help the sport continue to grow in the United States and Mexico alike.
The Mexico-based clubs have the upper hand against MLS sides (which is nothing different when compared to how the two leagues fare in the Concacaf Champions League - now rebranded to the Concacaf Champions Cup), winning the first two editions of the competition. Cruz Azul were the victors in 2019, and Club Leon triumphed in 2021. Although Cruz Azul finished first just a few years ago, they're now in a precarious spot as they face Inter Miami and their trio of ex-Barcelona players, who are looking to make an immediate impact.
When does the 2023 Leagues Cup start?
The group stage begins on July 21, with five game taking place on the first match day. There are three teams to each group, and the top two teams with the most points will advance to the knockout stage. In the knockout stage, it is a win-or-go home one-game scenario.
There are also no draws in the Leagues Cup in the group stage. When one side has won after regulation, said team earns three points. If both teams are tied after the 90 minutes, then both teams receive one point. But after normal time, instead of going to two periods of extra time, the game goes straight to penalty kicks - with the winner earning one point.
Which teams are playing in the 2023 Leagues Cup?
- West 1: Tigres UANL, Portland Timbers, San Jose Earthquakes
- West 2: Monterrey, Real Salt Lake, Seattle Sounders
- West 3: LA Galaxy, Club Leon, Vancouver Whitecaps
- Central 1: Club America, Columbus Crew, St. Louis City
- Central 2: Puebla, Minnesota United, Chicago Fire
- Central 3: Chivas Guadalajara, FC Cincinnati, Sporting Kansas City
- Central 4: Nashville SC, Toluca, Colorado Rapids
- South 1: Austin FC, Mazatlan, FC Juarez
- South 2: Santos Laguna, Orlando City, Houston Dynamo
- South 3: Cruz Azul, Inter Miami, Atlanta United
- South 4: FC Dallas, Necaxa, Charlotte FC
- East 1:Philadelphia, Tijuana, Queretaro
- East 2: CF Montreal, Pumas UNAM, DC United
- East 3: NYCFC, Atlas, Toronto FC
- East 4: New York Red Bulls, San Luis, New England Revolution
*LAFC and Pachuca will not participate in the group stage, as they received a bye after winning their respective leagues (LAFC won MLS Cup in 2022, Pachuca had the most combined points spanning across the 2022 Clausura and Apertura seasons).
2023 Leagues Cup round dates
2023 Leagues Cup Matchday one fixtures
- 07/21/2023 - Inter Miami vs. Cruz Azul - 8:00 PM EST
- 07/21/2023 - Orlando City vs. Houston Dynamo - 8:00 PM EST
- 07/21/2023 - Austin FC vs. Mazatlan - 8:30 PM EST
- 07/21/2023 - FC Dallas vs. Charlotte FC - 9:00 PM EST
- 07/21/2023 - Club Leon vs. Vancouver Whitecaps - 10:30 PM EST
- 07/22/2023 - CF Montreal vs. Pumas UNAM - 7:30 PM EST
- 07/22/2023 - New York Red Bulls vs. New England Revolution - 7:30 PM EST
- 07/22/2023 - Philadelphia Union vs. Club Tijuana - 8:00 PM EST
- 07/22/2023 - Real Salt Lake vs. Seattle Sounders - 9:30 PM EST
- 07/22/2023 - Portland Timbers vs. San Jose Earthquakes - 10:00 PM EST
- 07/23/2023 - New York City FC vs. Atlas - 7:00 PM EST
- 07/23/2023 - FC Cincinnati vs. Sporting Kansas City - 7:30 PM EST
- 07/23/2023 - Columbus Crew vs. St. Louis City - 7:30 PM EST
- 07/23/2023 - Nashville SC vs. Colorado Rapids - 8:30 PM EST
- 07/23/2023 - Puebla vs. Minnesota United - 9:00 PM EST
2023 Leagues Cup Matchday two fixtures
- 07/25/2023 - Inter Miami vs. Atlanta United - 7:30 PM EST
- 07/25/2023 - Santos Laguna vs. Houston Dynamo - 8:30 PM EST
- 07/25/2023 - Mazatlan vs. FC Juarez - 9:30 PM EST
- 07/25/2023 - FC Dallas vs. Necaxa - 9:30 PM EST
- 07/25/2023 - LA Galaxy vs. Club Leon - 10:30 PM EST
- 07/26/2023 - CF Montreal vs. DC United - 7:30 PM EST
- 07/26/2023 - Philadelphia Union vs. Queretaro - 7:30 PM EST
- 07/26/2023 - San Luis vs. New England Revolution - 7:30 PM EST
- 07/26/2023 - New York City FC vs. Toronto FC - 7:30 PM EST
- 07/26/2023 - Monterrey vs. Real Salt Lake - 9:30 PM EST
- 07/26/2023 - Tigres UANL vs. Portland Timbers - 11:00 PM EST
- 07/27/2023 - Chivas Guadalajara vs. FC Cincinnati - 8:00 PM EST
- 07/27/2023 - Minnesota United vs. Chicago Fire - 8:30 PM EST
- 07/27/2023 - Nashville SC vs. Toluca - 8:30 PM EST
- 07/27/2023 - Club America vs. St. Louis City - 10:00 PM EST
2023 Leagues Cup Matchday three fixtures
- 07/29/2023 - Cruz Azul vs. Atlanta United - 7:00 PM EST
- 07/29/2023 - Santos Laguna vs. Orlando City - 7:30 PM EST
- 07/29/2023 - Necaxa vs. Charlotte FC - 7:30 PM EST
- 07/29/2023 - Austin FC vs. FC Juarez - 8:30 PM EST
- 07/29/2023 - Pumas UNAM vs. DC United - 9:00 PM EST
- 07/29/2023 - LA Galaxy vs. Vancouver Whitecaps - 10:30 PM EST
- 07/30/2023 - Atlas vs. Toronto FC - 7:30 PM EST
- 07/30/2023 - New York Red Bulls vs. San Luis - 7:30 PM EST
- 07/30/2023 - Club Tijuana vs. Queretaro - 7:30 PM EST
- 07/30/2023 - Monterrey vs. Seattle Sounders - 9:00 PM EST
- 07/30/2023 - Tigres UANL vs. San Jose Earthquakes - 11:00 PM EST
- 07/31/2023 - Club America vs. Columbus Crew - 8:00 PM EST
- 07/31/2023 - Puebla vs. Chicago Fire - 8:30 PM EST
- 07/31/2023 - Toluca vs. Colorado Rapids - 9:30 PM EST
- 07/31/2023 - Chivas Guadalajara vs. Sporting Kansas City
Who won the 2022 Leagues Cup?
Because of the FIFA World Cup taking place in December of last year. there wasn't an official Leagues Cup tournament. It would've been too much on the players with all of the games being played already throughout the year.
Instead, five games were held in place of the competition, and the results are below:
- LA Galaxy 2-0 Chivas Guadalajara
- Club America 0-0 LAFC (6-5 pen.)
- FC Cincinnati 3-1 Guadala
- Nashville SC 3-3 Club America (4-2 pen.)
- Atlas 2-1 Real Salt Lake
Who has won the Leagues Cup the most?
Only two teams have won the tournament before - Cruz Azul and Club Leon. Cruz Azul defeated Tigres UANL in the 2019 final,2-1, and Club Leon triumphed 3-2 over Seattle Sounders to win the 2021 edition.
How can I watch the 2023 Leagues Cup?
There will be plenty of coverage due to a certain Lionel Messi joining Inter Miami, and it can be watched on Apple TV via MLS Season Pass, Univision, FOX Sports, TSN, RDS, and Televisa.
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This article was originally published on 90min as 2023 Leagues Cup: Draw, fixtures, results & guide to each round .
