The Leagues Cup is back, and the 2026 tournament will follow a similar format to the 2025 edition, featuring 36 teams across Liga MX and Major League Soccer, with 18 participants from each of the two domestic leagues. Unlike past iterations where every club from both leagues competed, the 2026 tournament sees 12 MLS teams absent, as the clubs also balance the U.S. Open Cup, Canadian Championship and Concacaf Champions Cup play.Here’s everything you need to know about the competition that begins on Aug. 4 and crowns a champion Sept. 6.Which Teams Are in the 2026 Leagues Cup?MLS Clubs Austin FCCharlotte FCChicago Fire FCFC CincinnatiColumbus CrewFC DallasInter Miami CFLAFCMinnesota United FCNashville SCNew York City FCOrlando CityPhiladelphia UnionPortland TimbersReal Salt LakeSan Diego FCSeattle Sounders FCVancouver Whitecaps FCLiga MX ClubsAtlas FCAtlante FCAtlético San LuisClub AméricaChivas de GuadalajaraCruz AzulFC JuárezClub LéonCF MonterreyClub NecaxaCF PachucaClub PueblaPumas UNAMClub QuerétaroTigres UANLClub TijuanaToluca FCSantos LagunaClick here for the full Leagues Cup 2026 scheduleWhen Is the 2026 Leagues Cup?Phase One: Aug. 4 - Aug. 7Quarterfinals: TBDSemifinals: TBDFinal and Third Place Match: Sept. 6How Does the 2026 Leagues Cup Work?The champion takes home the Leagues Cup trophy. | Caleb Bowlin/Getty ImagesThe 2026 edition of the Leagues Cup will be a split-table competition, featuring an MLS table and a Liga MX table, which leads into a knockout bracket from the quarterfinals through to the championship match and third-place match. Phase One will feature cross-league competition, with an MLS club facing a Liga MX team in each of three total games per team, earning points toward their respective league tables. Each game will award a traditional three points for a win; however, matches knotted at full time will advance to a penalty shootout, with the winner claiming two points and the loser earning one.Following the competition of the Phase One matches, the top four clubs in each table advance to the knockout round. With this format, no two teams from the same league can meet until the semifinal. The Leagues Cup grants three qualification spots for the 2027 Concacaf Champions Cup, one for the champion, runner-up and third-place finisher. The champion secures advancement straight to the round of 16 of that competition.What’s New in the 2026 Leagues Cup? MLS teams have dominated Leagues Cup in recent seasons. | Alika Jenner/Getty ImagesThe 2026 Leagues Cup looks very similar to the one the Seattle Sounders won in 2025, with one major difference: matches in Mexico. Liga MX clubs will host four games this season, marking the first time since the tournament’s inaugural edition in 2019 that games will make their way south of the U.S.-Mexico border. Liga MX Matches in MexicoDateFixtureLocationStadiumAug. 5, 2026 Deportivo Toluca vs. Seattle SoundersToluca, MexicoEstadio Nemesio DíezAug. 11, 2026 Tigres UANL vs. Vancouver WhitecapsNuevo León, MexicoEstadio UniversitarioAug. 12, 2026 Deportivo Toluca vs. FC Dallas Toluca, MexicoEstadio Nemesio DíezTBDClub América vs. San Diego FC Mexico CityEstadio AztecaWhat Happened in 2025? The 2025 Leagues Cup was one for the history books as the Seattle Sounders claimed their first title with a heated 3–0 win over Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami in front of a record crowd of 69,314 at Lumen Field. Miami entered the match amid struggling summer form, after falling to Vancouver in the Concacaf Champions Cup semifinals. For a club with massive intentions, it felt like a must-win, especially as Messi had not won a trophy in 2025 for either club or country. Those efforts fell exceptionally short, as Seattle’s Osaze De Rosario and Alex Roldan pushed the Rave Green to victory. Following the final whistle, both teams got into physical altercations, with Miami striker Luis Suárez appearing to spit at a Seattle staff member. His actions led to a three-game MLS suspension and a six-game Leagues Cup ban, which will see him miss the entire 2026 tournament. Who Has Won the Leagues Cup in the Past?Year Champion2025Seattle Sounders 2024Columbus Crew SC2023Inter Miami CF2022 Not played2021Club Léon2020 Cancelled 2019Cruz AzulREAD THE LATEST MLS NEWS, ANALYSIS AND INSIGHT FROM SI FCAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow