Three MLS teams – Inter Miami CF, Nashville SC and Philadelphia Union – have a 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup (CCC) spot in their sights as the Leagues Cup semifinals get underway Tuesday night.
Those extra stakes supplement the trophy, prize money and regional bragging rights available via Leagues Cup – the World Cup-style tournament that's seen all 47 MLS and Liga MX teams pause domestic competition for a month.
How teams can qualify
The top three finishers in this year’s revamped Leagues Cup qualify directly for next year’s expanded continental club competition, which provides a qualification route to the new and expanded 2025 FIFA Club World Cup (on US soil) and includes an increased prize money pool ($5 million).
The Leagues Cup slots for the 2024 CCC break down as follows:
- Champion: Directly into Round of 16
- Runner-up: Enter in Round One
- Third place: Enter in Round One
That added incentive means Tuesday's two semifinal winners – Philadelphia host Miami at 7 pm ET and Nashville host Liga MX’s CF Monterrey at 9:30 pm ET – are guaranteed automatic qualification for what was previously known as Concacaf Champions League.
When contesting the Leagues Cup Final on Aug. 19, the semifinal winners will not just vie for silverware – the victor will also receive a Round One bye in the 2024 CCC.
From the Leagues Cup Third-Place Game, also contested on Aug. 19, only the winner heads into the 2024 CCC. That loser would miss out, pending their finish in other competitions.
In short: the three remaining MLS teams need to win just one of their remaining two Leagues Cup games to ensure CCC soccer next year.
Slots for 2024 CCC
Of the 27 teams competing in next year’s CCC, up to 10 MLS teams can qualify via different pathways – just over one-third of MLS’s 29 overall teams (34%).
- MLS regular season and Audi MLS Cup Playoffs: 5 teams (guaranteed)
- Leagues Cup: 3 teams (top three finishers)
- US Open Cup: 1 team (champion only)
- Canadian Championship: 1 team (champion only)
Vancouver Whitecaps FC, after repeating as Canadian Championship winners in early June, have kickstarted the MLS presence in the 2024 CCC.
From the participating CCC field, 22 teams will begin play in Round One and five will receive a bye to the Round of 16 (including Leagues Cup and MLS Cup champions)
Messi & MLS presence
As potentially three more MLS teams join Vancouver via their Leagues Cup success, the spotlight shifts to Lionel Messi and Miami. All the Herons need is one more win and they’ll become first-time CCC participants.
Another MLS slot will be known on Sept. 27, when the US Open Cup final is contested. Houston Dynamo FC vs. Real Salt Lake and FC Cincinnati vs. Miami are all in contention following Aug. 23 semifinals – giving Messi another potential route into the 2024 CCC.
For Messi & Co., MLS Cup is another potential route – though they’ll need to make up a sizable gap in the Eastern Conference table to qualify for the playoffs. The Herons, based on form before their summertime squad makeover, are in 15th place (each conference’s top nine teams qualify). They have 12 games to go and are 12 points back from the current playoff line.
Club World Cup implications
The 2025 Club World Cup will expand to 32 teams and be hosted at various venues/cities across the United States.
Concacaf receives four slots (CCC winners) and an additional spot is given to the host nation, theoretically guaranteeing at least one more MLS team will participate in the competition.
- 2021 CCC winner: CF Monterrey (Liga MX)
- 2022 CCC winner: Seattle Sounders FC (MLS)
- 2023 CCC winner: Club León (Liga MX)
- 2024 CCC winner: To be determined
Last year, Seattle became MLS’s first-ever winner in the modern CCC era. From that accomplishment, the Sounders participated in the 2022 Club World Cup as well – and retroactively earned a spot in the 2025 Club World Cup.
Could another MLS winner, after their 2023 Leagues Cup successes, join them in representing the league on home soil come 2025?
