The 2019 edition of Leagues Cup features four clubs from each league in an eight-team single-elimination knockout tournament, with the first two rounds hosted by the MLS club. The participating MLS teams in the first edition were invitees, but later editions are planned to use league results for qualification; the four Liga MX participants were chosen based on their league results. The quarterfinals were played on July 23–24 and the semifinals were played on August 20. The final was played on September 18 at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada.
History
Major League Soccer and Liga MX clubs had previously played in the North American SuperLiga, which ran from 2007 to 2010. Both leagues also send clubs to the CONCACAF Champions League, which has been dominated by Mexican clubs, and the Campeones Cup, a single match played between the winners of the MLS Cup and the Campeón de Campeones. The two leagues began planning a bi-national, eight-team competition to complement the Champions League and provide Mexican clubs with matches to replace the Copa Libertadores in their calendar as soon as 2018. MLS and Liga MX announced a new partnership in March 2018 to create the Campeones Cup and explore options for other bi-national competitions between their clubs. The Leagues Cup tournament was announced on May 29, 2019, featuring eight teams in its inaugural edition to be played during the summer. The announcement of the tournament was panned by soccer critics in the United States, who called it a meaningless friendly and "cash-grab" for American clubs. The MLS Players Association also expressed concerns over the tournament's creation on the basis of schedule congestion during the summertime. Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas was later announced as the host venue for the final and a broadcasting contract for the tournament was awarded to ESPN and TUDN. In July 2019, MLS and Liga MX announced that the second edition of the Leagues Cup in 2020 would feature 16 teams—eight from each league. The MLS participants would be drawn from the top four teams in each conference that do not qualify for the CONCACAF Champions League; the Liga MX participants would include the 2019 Apertura champion, 2020 Clausura champion, the 2019–20 Copa MX champion, and the next five best-placed teams in the league. The tournament was canceled on May 19, 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Trophy
The Leagues Cup trophy was unveiled in September 2019 and consists of a silver bowl atop a pedestal. It is in height and wide. A replica trophy will be gifted to the winners following 12 months with the original trophy.
