Major League Soccer (MLS) and LIGA MX continue to build on the leagues’ rivalry and today announced the match dates for the second edition of Leagues Cup, the annual competition between the two top soccer leagues in North America. Minnesota United will join seven MLS and eight Liga MX teams in the expanded edition of the tournament and will begin July 21-22 with Round of 16 matches taking place at Allianz Field for the Loons. The Quarterfinals are slated for August 4-5, and the Semifinals later that month on August 25-26. The Leagues Cup Final is on Wednesday, September 16.
Leagues Cup 2020
Round of 16: July 21-22
Quarterfinals: August 4-5
Semifinals: August 25-26
Final: September 16
“We’re really excited to be participating in an international tournament such as Leagues Cup this year,” said Minnesota United CEO Chris Wright. “Given our success in the U.S. Open Cup last season, we believe we can likewise compete in this tournament. Leagues Cup will continue to build our relationship with Liga MX and challenge our club on an international level. To think we’re competing in an international tournament after three seasons in says a lot about where we are at and our vision for the club globally”
As previously announced after last year’s successful debut of the competition, the 2020 edition of Leagues Cup will feature an extended field of teams. MLS clubs qualified for the tournament by their performances in the 2019 MLS regular season, excluding the four clubs participating in the Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League. The participating LIGA MX clubs will qualify through sustained performances across the 2019-20 Apertura and Clausura seasons – specifically the Apertura 2019 and Clausura 2020 Champions, the Champion of Copa MX, and the following five top-ranked teams in the combined 2019-20 table. As of today, the Apertura 2019 Champion, CF Monterrey, is the first team to qualify from LIGA MX for Leagues Cup 2020.
Our close collaboration with LIGA MX continues to grow, and the expanded Leagues Cup will take it to a new level,” said MLS Commissioner Don Garber. “When we started our partnership with LIGA MX two years ago, we knew that we had the opportunity to create something unique and special for soccer fans. Leagues Cup is a perfect example of how we are working together to grow the sport in North America.”
“The first edition of Leagues Cup was hugely satisfying. It was a tournament that gave us many stories to tell, that helped us get closer to our fans in the United States, and that gave us a spectacular Final in Las Vegas. And of course, we’re proud that Cruz Azul was the first Champion,” said Enrique Bonilla, LIGA MX Executive President. “The future of Leagues Cup will be even more special, not only because eight more teams will participate in this edition, but also because the rivalry between the leagues is growing, which in turn will create more emotion and higher expectations for fans in Canada, Mexico, and the United States.”
New for the 2020 edition of the tournament will be the inclusion of a draw to determine the matchups between clubs from both leagues ahead of the Round of 16. MLS and LIGA MX teams will be seeded and drawn to ensure the most competitive matches, with a second draw ahead of the Quarterfinals, to guarantee the most amount of interleague play. Seeding for the 2020 MLS Leagues Cup participants is as follows:
MLS 1: Philadelphia Union
MLS 2: Real Salt Lake
MLS 3: Minnesota United FC
MLS 4: LA Galaxy
MLS 5: Toronto FC
MLS 6: D.C. United
MLS 7: Portland Timbers
MLS 8: NY Red Bulls
The seeding order for LIGA MX teams is as follows:
LMX 1: Campeón de Campeones Champion
LMX 2: Campeón de Campeones Runner-Up
LMX 3: Copa MX Champion
LMX 4-8: Top ranked Liga MX teams from the combined Apertura 2019 and Clausura 2020 tournaments
Confirmed LIGA MX teams will be announced at the conclusion of the current 2020 Clausura tournament, along with details of the draw and competition matters.
Similar to the 2019 edition, all matches between MLS and LIGA MX clubs will be played in the home market of the MLS team. In the event of a same-league matchup in the later stages of the tournament, the inter-MLS games will be hosted at the MLS market of the higher-seeded team. Matches featuring two LIGA MX teams, as well as the Leagues Cup Final, will be played in a neutral US-based venue to be announced.
The tournament – which will be broadcast on the Univision and ESPN family of networks in the United States, TSN and TVA in Canada, and Televisa in Mexico – is sanctioned by the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf).
Leagues Cup™ 2020 Dates
Times TBD / * Subject to change
July 21-22 – Round of 16
Minnesota United FC vs. LIGA MX TBD (Allianz Field, St. Paul, MN)
August 4-5 – Quarterfinals
August 25-26 - Semifinals
Wednesday, September 16
