Major League Soccer (MLS) and LIGA MX announced today the participants and schedule for the 2021 Leagues Cup, the official annual single-elimination tournament that will again feature clubs from MLS and Mexico’s top-flight leagues, building on the rivalry between both leagues and offering intense, high-level international competition for clubs and fans alike across North America.
The qualified LIGA MX teams for this year’s tournament are Tigres, Pumas, León and Santos. They will join the four qualified MLS clubs: Sporting Kansas City, Orlando City SC, Seattle Sounders FC, and New York City FC.
The 2021 edition of Leagues Cup will feature four clubs from each league in a single-elimination format. LIGA MX teams joining the 2021 edition of the competition are the top four teams from the overall standings from the 2020-2021 Liga MX season that are not scheduled to participate in the 2021 Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League. Should Club León win LIGA MX’s Campeón de Campeones 2020-2021 scheduled for July 18, Chivas would replace León as the next best-ranked club in the combined standings, and León would then participate in the 2021 Campeones Cup.
As announced in March of this year, the participating MLS teams — Sporting Kansas City, Orlando City SC, Seattle Sounders FC, and New York City FC — are the top two teams from each conference based on the 2020 MLS regular season standing not scheduled to participate in the 2021 Scotiabank Champions League. The MLS clubs will host the opening Quarterfinal matches of the tournament.
The tournament, to be played in its entirety in the U.S., is scheduled for August 10-12 with Quarterfinal matches. The Semifinals are slated for September 14-15, and further details including venues and kick times will be announced following the quarterfinals. The Leagues Cup Final, to be played in a neutral venue and announced in the coming weeks, is scheduled for September 22. The full Leagues Cup 2021 schedule is below.
Tickets to Leagues Cup matches are available via host club and by visiting www.LeaguesCup.com. MLS Season Ticket Members will have the first opportunity to purchase tickets to Leagues Cup matches and are urged to contact the local club for Leagues Cup ticket opportunities. Fans are encouraged to visit here to sign-up for the latest information.
Leagues Cup 2021 kicks off five weeks of MLS vs. Liga MX matchups in August and September, including the MLS All-Star Game presented by Target on August 25 and rounding out with Campeones Cup the last week of September.
Leagues Cup™ 2021 Schedule
All Times Eastern / * Subject to change
Quarterfinals
Tuesday, August 10
QF4: Sporting Kansas City vs. Club León (Children’s Mercy Park – Kansas City, KS), 8:00 p.m. (TUDN, ESPN2)
QF3: Seattle Sounders FC vs. Tigres UANL (Lumen Field – Seattle, WA), 10:00 p.m. (TUDN, ESPN2)
Wednesday, August 11
QF2: New York City FC vs. Pumas (Yankee Stadium– New York, NY), 8:00 p.m. (TUDN, ESPN+)
Thursday, August 12
QF1: Orlando City SC vs. Santos Laguna (Exploria Stadium – Orlando, FL), 7:00 p.m. (TUDN, ESPN+)
Semifinals
September 14 and 15
SF1: Winner QF1 vs Winner QF3
SF2: Winner QF2 vs Winner QF4
Final
September 22