Group stage kickoff times for Leagues Cup 2023 were announced Thursday, with the majority of games taking place between 7 pm ET and 11 pm ET to allow fans the opportunity to enjoy the highly-anticipated tournament under the lights.
This year's expanded competition - featuring all 47 clubs from Major League Soccer (29) and Liga MX (18) participating in 15 groups - will consist of a World Cup-style tournament that qualifies three clubs for the 2024 Concacaf Champions League.
Leagues Cup 2023 will take place from July 21 to August 19, pausing league competition. All matches will air on MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app*, with 15 select group stage matches appearing on TelevisaUnivision, FOX Sports, TSN and RDS in the United States and Canada.
Leagues Cup Matchday 1: Friday, July 21
- Orlando City SC vs. Houston Dynamo (7:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass)
- Cruz Azul vs. Inter Miami (8 pm ET | MLS Season Pass)
- FC Dallas vs. Charlotte FC (8:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass)
- Austin FC vs. Mazatlán FC (10 pm ET | MLS Season Pass)
- León vs. Vancouver Whitecaps (10:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass)
The Leagues Cup Group Stage kicks off on Friday, July 21 at 7:30 pm ET between two MLS clubs, Orlando City SC facing Houston Dynamo at Exploria Stadium, followed by LIGA MX’s Cruz Azul against Inter Miami CF (8 pm ET) at DRV PNK Stadium, the first in the highly anticipated series of matchups between the two leagues.
Also on opening night, FC Dallas host Charlotte FC at Toyota Stadium (8:30 pm ET), Austin FC battle Mazatlan FC at Q2 Stadium (10 p.m. ET), and Leon take on Vancouver Whitecaps at BC Place (10:30 p.m. ET).
Leagues Cup Knockout Rounds
Advancing teams will compete in single-game elimination knockout rounds, beginning with the Round of 32 on August 2-4 (16 matches), followed by the Round of 16 on August 6-8 (eight matches). The eight advancing teams will compete in the quarterfinals from August 11-12 (four matches) before the two semifinal matches on August 15.
The Leagues Cup 2023 final and third place games will be played on Saturday, August 19 and determine the three clubs that will qualify for the 2024 Concacaf Champions League. Game times for the elimination rounds and finals will be announced once the qualifiers are known.
Leagues Cup: Key information to know
- World Cup-style tournament held from July 21 to August 19
- All 47 combined MLS and LIGA MX teams compete annually, pausing their respective league seasons each summer
- 77 matches played across the US and Canada (hosted at MLS stadiums)
- Leagues Cup champion, as well as the second and third-place finishers, qualify for the Concacaf Champions League
- Every team will play two Group Stage matches in the Group Stage
- Top two teams from each group, as determined by points, advance to the single-elimination Knockout Stage
- No matches in the Leagues Cup Group Stage will end in a tie (decided by penalty shootout)
- Regulation win earns 3 points; PK shootout win earns 2 points; PK shootout loss earns 1 point
