Leagues Cup 2025 | Charlotte FC

PHASE ONE

2025 LEAGUES CUP NEWS

Charlotte FC Announce 2025 Leagues Cup Schedule, Three LIGA MX Matches at Bank of America Stadium

NEW LEAGUES CUP FORMAT

For the 2025 edition, Leagues Cup has a new and enhanced format for the tournament, featuring 36 clubs from both leagues – all 18 LIGA MX teams and 18 qualifying MLS teams. The top nine teams in each MLS Conference, who participated in the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs from the prior season, will qualify.
Officially sanctioned by Concacaf, the top three teams will receive automatic bids into Concacaf Champions Cup with a chance to represent the Confederation at the FIFA Club World Cup.
Leagues Cup 2025 will be played in two rounds: Phase One, beginning July 29, and the Knockout Rounds, ending with the Leagues Cup Final on August 31.
The MLS and LIGA MX regular seasons will continue play through the month of August, with most Leagues Cup knockout matches played midweek.

No ties!
Each team will receive one (1) point if the game is tied after 90 minutes
The winner of the subsequent penalty shootout will earn an additional point
Regulation wins count as 3 points
Top 4 clubs with the most points from each league will move on to the Knockout Rounds, right into the Quarterfinals

Phase One will feature three consecutive match dates per club to be played between July 29-August 7, and all 54 Phase One matches will be played between MLS and LIGA MX clubs Clubs will be divided evenly into two regions of 18 teams each: Eastern and Western. Within each region, the 18 teams will be sorted into three tiers based on their Leagues Cup Ranking:  
- Tier 1: Teams ranked 1-3 from each league  
- Tier 2: Teams ranked 4-6 from each league 
- Tier 3: Teams ranked 7-9 from each league 
The Leagues Cup Ranking combines MLS and LIGA MX league performance across 34 regular season matches into a unified table. MLS teams will be ranked based on the 2024 MLS Supporters’ Shield standings with San Diego listed last, while LIGA MX clubs will be ranked based on the cumulative 34 matches in the 2024 Clausura and Apertura tournaments.
Each club will play three matches against the three opponents from the opposite league
While competing on the field against teams from the opposite league, MLS and LMX teams will be competing in a league-specific table against the teams from their own league. Clubs will earn points within their league-specific tables; an MLS club's win earns points in the Leagues Cup MLS table, while a LIGA MX win contributes to the Leagues Cup LIGA MX table.

The top four (4) clubs from each Leagues Cup league-specific table advance to the Knockout Rounds and will be placed in a fixed bracket to compete in the single-game elimination matches beginning with the Quarterfinals (four matches). Four MLS clubs and four LIGA MX clubs will advance.
Quarterfinal pairings will be decided based on Leagues Cup Phase One performance with an inverse order of ranking among the respective league tables (MLS 1 vs. LIGA MX 4, MLS 2 vs. LIGA MX 3, MLS 3 vs. LIGA MX 2, and MLS 4 vs. LIGA MX 1).
The four advancing clubs will compete in the two Semifinal matches, as determined by the bracket.
The losers of the Semifinals will compete in a Third Place Match
The winners of the Semifinals will compete in the Leagues Cup Final on Sunday, August 31

The winner of the Third Place Match will qualify for Concacaf Champions Cup
Both clubs in the Leagues Cup Final will automatically qualify for Concacaf Champions Cup
Leagues Cup 2025 Champion qualifies directly to Concacaf Champion Cup Round of 16

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