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Leagues Cup 2025 schedule announced: When and where MLS, LIGA MX teams will play tournament

Leagues Cup 2025 schedule announced: When and where MLS, LIGA MX teams will play tournament

USA Today11-02-2025

Leagues Cup 2025 schedule announced: When and where MLS, LIGA MX teams will play tournament
Columbus Crew will begin its Leagues Cup title defense hosting LIGA MX side Toluca on July 29, while Lionel Messi's Inter Miami will begin their pursuit of a second Leagues Cup title against Atlas one day later, tournament organizers announced Tuesday.
Reigning MLS champions L.A. Galaxy will headline the third night of action hosting Club Tijuana on July 31.
The 2025 Leagues Cup tournament ends with the Aug. 31 final.
Inter Miami and Columbus were the first two winners of the summer tournament between MLS and LIGA MX teams.
Leagues Cup organizers announced several changes to the tournament last month, including 58 of 62 possible matches will be played between MLS and LIGA MX teams before the semifinal. All 18 LIGA MX clubs and 18 of 30 MLS teams will participate.
The teams were separated into six sets of six clubs, and each MLS club will face a counterpart from Mexico during the first phase of the tournament. The top four MLS and LIGA MX clubs, ranked with a points system, will advance to the quarterfinals.
The Leagues Cup champion, runner-up and third-place team will again be awarded spots in the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup.
Leagues Cup organizers also announced the Top 6 LIGA MX clubs – Club América, Cruz Azul, Toluca, Tigres, Monterrey and Pumas – will have less travel and hosting privileges at MLS stadiums.
Club América, the LIGA MX champion, will begin in Salt Lake City, then play two games in Texas. Cruz Azul and Tigres will play two matches in California. Toluca will play two matches in the New York/New Jersey area. Monterrey will play two matches in Cincinnati. Pumas will play all three matches in Florida.
All Leagues Cup games will be available to live stream with MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
Here's the Leagues Cup 2025 tournament schedule
Tuesday, July 29
Toluca vs. Columbus Crew at Lower.com Field (Columbus, Ohio)
NYCFC vs. Puebla at Sports Illustrated Stadium (Harrison, New Jersey)
CF Montreal vs. Leon at Stade Saputo (Montreal)
Tigres vs. Houston Dynamo at Shell Energy Stadium (Houston)
LAFC vs. Mazatlan FC at BMO Stadium (Los Angeles)
Pachuca vs. San Diego FC at Snapdragon Stadium (San Diego, CA)
Wednesday, July 30
Inter Miami vs. Atlas at Chase Stadium (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
Pumas vs. Orlando City at Inter&Co Stadium (Orlando, FL)
Necaxa vs. Atlanta United at Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta)
Minnesota United vs. Queretaro at Allianz Field (St. Paul, MN)
Club America vs. Real Salt Lake at America First Field (Sandy, UT)
Portland Timbers vs. Atletico San Luis at Providence Park (Portland, OR)
Thursday, July 31
Monterrey vs. FC Cincinnati at TQL Stadium (Cincinnati)
Charlotte FC vs. FC Juarez at Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte)
Chivas vs. New York Red Bulls at Sports Illustrated Stadium
LA Galaxy vs. Tijuana at Dignity Health Sports Park (Los Angeles)
Cruz Azul vs. Seattle Sounders at Lumen Field (Seattle)
Colorado Rapids vs. Santos at DICK's Sporting Goods Park (Commerce City, CO)
Friday, Aug. 1
Columbus Crew vs. Puebla at Lower.com Field
NYCFC vs. Leon at Sports Illustrated Stadium
Houston Dynamo vs. Mazatlan FC at Shell Energy Stadium
Toluca vs. CF Montreal at Sports Illustrated Stadium
Tigres vs. San Diego FC, TBD
LAFC vs. Pachuca at BMO Stadium
Saturday, Aug. 2
Orlando City vs. Atlas at Inter&Co Stadium
Pumas vs. Atlanta United at Inter&Co Stadium
Inter Miami vs. Necaxa at Chase Stadium
Club America vs. Minnesota United at Shell Energy Stadum
Real Salt Lake vs. Atletico San Luis at America First Field
Portland Timbers vs. Queretaro at Providence Park
Sunday, Aug. 3
Monterrey vs. New York Red Bulls at TQL Stadium
FC Cincinnati vs. FC Juarez at TQL Stadium
Chivas vs. Charlotte FC at Bank of America Stadium
Seattle Sounders vs. Santos at Lumen Field
Colorado Rapids vs. Tijuana at DICK's Sporting Goods Park
LA Galaxy vs. Cruz Azul at Dignity Health Sports Park
Tuesday, Aug. 5
Toluca vs. NYCFC at Yankee Stadium (Bronx, NY)
CF Montreal vs. Puebla at Stade Saputo
Columbus Crew vs. Leon at Lower.com Field
Houston Dynamo vs. Pachuca at Shell Energy Stadium
Mazatlan vs. San Diego FC at Snapdragon Stadium
Tigres vs. LAFC at BMO Stadium
Wednesday, Aug. 6
Atlanta United vs. Atlas at Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Orlando City vs. Necaxa at Inter&Co Stadium
Inter Miami vs. Pumas at Chase Stadium
Minnesota United vs. Atletico San Luis at Allianz Field
Club America vs. Portland Timbers at Q2 Stadium (Austin, TX)
Real Salt Lake vs. Queretaro at America First Field
Seattle Sounders vs. Tijuana at Lumen Field
Thursday, Aug. 7
New York Red Bulls vs. FC Juarez at Sports Illustrated Stadium
Monterrey vs. Charlotte FC at Bank of America Stadium
FC Cincinnati vs. Chivas at TQL Stadium
Cruz Azul vs. Colorado Rapids at Dignity Health Sports Park
LA Galaxy vs. Santos at Dignity Health Sports Park
Leagues Cup knockout stages

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FIFA's Gianni Infantino says soccer will be ‘No. 1 sport' in U.S., urges promotion, relegation
FIFA's Gianni Infantino says soccer will be ‘No. 1 sport' in U.S., urges promotion, relegation

New York Times

time37 minutes ago

  • New York Times

FIFA's Gianni Infantino says soccer will be ‘No. 1 sport' in U.S., urges promotion, relegation

NEW YORK — FIFA president Gianni Infantino says soccer has the potential to soon be the 'No. 1 sport here in America,' and that reaching this goal is one of FIFA's top priorities. There are just a few things the sport should consider first, Infantino said, such as exploring the introduction of promotion and relegation in American soccer. Advertisement Infantino made these bold statements in a wide-ranging fireside chat with Fox Sports' Jordan Schultz at Fanatics Fest on Sunday afternoon in New York City, before heading across the Hudson River to catch a Club World Cup match at nearby MetLife Stadium. In 'three to four, maximum five years,' Infantino said, 'it will be top, top, top. One of the top leagues in the world, for sure. And I can tell you why — because now I'm here.' That's a fast timeline based on recent data. 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You have these fairy tales of teams. … This is something you can bring in this American culture as well, where you don't have the concept of promotion and relegation, and there's something interesting that I think has to be explored.' A Cinderella story like Wrexham's, as Infantino suggested, is something that in American soccer simply hasn't happened thanks to the absence of promotion and relegation in the men's American soccer landscape. That's something that could soon change, though, with United Soccer League owners in March voting to implement the system into their leagues. Their decision challenges the tradition of Major League Soccer, which has never implemented a relegation system that's common in soccer leagues across the world. Nevertheless, Infantino's remarks show ambition to enact what would be a seismic change to how professional men's soccer has operated in the United States. 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Few leagues around the world can match the strictness of MLS' rules and regulations, which limit how teams can spend across their entire roster and force teams to focus their expenditures on only a handful of leading players regardless of their age or pedigree. The devotion to competitive balance also keeps clubs from being able to outspend their rivals to gain an on-field edge, instead having to be crafty and work within a borderline labyrinthine set of roster rules. Advertisement As the sport's popularity has continued to spike over the past decade or more, American and Canadian fans have looked to other leagues beyond their MLS markets and taken interest in the sport's more open structure. A 2016 study by Deloitte of 'over 1,000 U.S. soccer fans,' commissioned by the owner of lower-division club Miami FC, found that 88 percent of domestic respondents 'believe (the) introduction of promotion and relegation would be beneficial for club soccer in the USA.' In that spirit, the USL — which has operated among the United States' lower divisions since 2011 — introduced an audacious aim to bring promotion and relegation to the U.S., announcing earlier this year it hoped to debut a new circuit at a first-division level to make a three-tier open system as soon as 2027. As currently designed, such a venture would not involve MLS, the nation's top league. ​​In a sit-down interview with The Athletic in 2023, MLS commissioner Don Garber left the door open for the league to one day consider adopting a promotion and relegation model. 'I don't see any reason why, at the right time, if we're able to accommodate it as it relates to schedule and players and the ecosystem of MLS, why we couldn't have more teams in the future,' Garber said at the time. 'But this is an example of — life is a long time. We do not need to expand. We expand so that we can build our fan base. We build our fan base, which drives revenue, we drive revenue and we can invest that money back into the sport.' Ultimately, it will be up to MLS' owners — who come to decisions through votes held by the board of governors, taking cues from various committees among its membership — to determine whether it wants to finally move forward with opening the system. The Athletic has reached out to MLS for comment on Infantino's remarks. Infantino's remarks aren't the first sign that MLS might need to embrace the winds of change — far from it, in fact. However, this latest in a seemingly endless series of major summer tournaments has shown that leagues beyond Europe's elite can contend at the highest levels if set up for success. Though both the Seattle Sounders and Los Angeles have been competitive in their Club World Cup matches, both teams enter the final group stage match without a single point.

Club World Cup crowds have fluctuated wildly, from swathes of empty seats to ‘hostile' atmospheres
Club World Cup crowds have fluctuated wildly, from swathes of empty seats to ‘hostile' atmospheres

Chicago Tribune

time2 hours ago

  • Chicago Tribune

Club World Cup crowds have fluctuated wildly, from swathes of empty seats to ‘hostile' atmospheres

MIAMI — As kickoff approached it was clear — the fans weren't coming. The Club World Cup, soccer's shiny, new competition, has been billed as the event to breathe new life into the world's most popular sport. It began a week ago in the United States, where stadiums of monumental capacity and steep tickets prices awaited the rowdy crowds seen at grounds across the world. But rows and rows of empty seats inside Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando, Fla., on Tuesday told another story. 'It's like playing football during lockdown,' observed one fan on social media. For days, world governing body FIFA didn't register the attendance for the game between Mamelodi Sundowns and Ulsan on its official website. It took until Friday for a figure of 3,412 to be acknowledged on the site, but by rough count, there were fewer than 1,000 fans in the stands as the game got underway. At the other end of the spectrum, more than 80,000 watched Champions League winner Paris Saint-Germain versus Atletico Madrid at the massive Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. The opening week for the monthlong tournament across the U.S. has seen some wildly fluctuating attendances. The Mamelodi Sundowns-Ulsan game stands out as the low point so far for FIFA and its president, Gianni Infantino, who is banking on the Club World Cup becoming one of the most popular and valuable competitions in sport. So sparse was the crowd that the word 'ORLANDO' — spelled out in yellow seats on one of the main stands at Inter&Co Stadium — was almost completely unobstructed. Crowd-control stewards stood by the sidelines and monitored vast areas of empty spaces in the 25,500-capacity Florida venue. The home of MLS team Orlando City — among the smallest stadiums chosen to host games for the tournament — was still massively oversized for the match, even with ticket prices falling to $23. A group game between largely unheralded teams from South Africa and South Korea was never likely to be a big seller. And storms, which forced kickoff to be delayed by more than an hour, may have led to no-shows. Still, it was an uncomfortably low turnout and one of three games in the opening week that drew fewer than 10,000 fans. There were also swathes of empty seats for Chelsea's game against Los Angeles FC in Atlanta. It was an afternoon kickoff on a weekday, but one of the Premier League's most popular teams against an opponent from MLS couldn't manage to fill one-third of the 71,000-capacity stadium, with 22,000 fans showing up. 'I think the environment was a bit strange. You know, the stadium was almost empty,' Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca said, and even with Lionel Messi in town for the second game in Atlanta — Inter Miami's win against Porto — the crowd was far from capacity at 31,783. Uncertainty over ticket sales had been a point of debate in the build up to the tournament, with prices falling dramatically before the opening game between Miami and Al Ahly last Saturday. An impressive crowd of nearly 61,000 watched that game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla., though it is not known how many paid anywhere near the $349 that tickets were being quoted at in December. As of Tuesday, FIFA said 1.5 million tickets had been sold and more than 340,000 fans had attended the first eight games. Infantino proudly proclaimed the Club World Cup was growing into 'the undisputed pinnacle of global club football.' Numbers in Miami have been good — nothing lower than 55,000 and topping out at a near-capacity 63,587 for Bayern Munich versus Boca Juniors. Bayern forward Harry Kane described the atmosphere inside a stadium dominated by Boca fans as 'hostile.' Crowds have still come to Miami in a week when the Florida Panthers were playing in the Stanley Cup Final. Boca and Real Madrid fans queued up for hours in sweltering heat after arriving early for games. The biggest crowd of the opening week was 80,619 for PSG-Atletico Madrid in LA. For context, that is just short of the 84,163 who watched the English FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium and well above the 64,327 attendance for the Champions League final — European club soccer's biggest game. While there was not a sellout game in the opening week, 10 of the first 24 matches have seen crowds in excess of 40,000, for an average of around 36,000. The average for the Champions League last season was just under 46,000, according to soccer data website Transfermarkt, but like-for-like comparisons are difficult, given this is a totally new format bringing club teams from around the world to the U.S. At the 2022 men's World Cup in Qatar there was an average attendance of just under 50,000 for the opening week. Of the 20 games played over that period, the highest attendance was 88,103 and all but two of those games had crowds in excess of 40,000. Focus on the Club World Cup has been intense for more than one reason. There is still uncertainty over how much of an appetite there is among fans for another elite soccer tournament, and it was unknown how many would be prepared to follow their team to the U.S. According to FIFA, the biggest take up of tickets from abroad was from Brazil, Argentina and Mexico. Perhaps more significant is what this tournament says about the men's World Cup, which is largely being staged in the U.S. next year. The Club World Cup could be seen as a gauge of how America's interest in soccer has grown since last hosting the planet's biggest sporting event in 1994. In that sense, it's not just about statistics, but optics as well. Which is why FIFA will hope to avoid a repeat of the scenes at Mamelodi Sundowns versus Ulsan.

Club World Cup crowds have wildly fluctuated, from swathes of empty seats to 'hostile' atmospheres
Club World Cup crowds have wildly fluctuated, from swathes of empty seats to 'hostile' atmospheres

San Francisco Chronicle​

time8 hours ago

  • San Francisco Chronicle​

Club World Cup crowds have wildly fluctuated, from swathes of empty seats to 'hostile' atmospheres

MIAMI (AP) — As kickoff approached it was clear — the fans weren't coming. The Club World Cup, soccer's shiny, new competition, has been billed as the event to breathe new life into the world's most popular sport. It began a week ago in the United States, where sports stadiums of monumental capacity and steep tickets prices awaited the rowdy crowds seen at grounds across the world. 'It's like playing football during lockdown,' observed one fan on social media. For days, world governing body FIFA didn't register the attendance for the game between Mamelodi Sundowns and Ulsan HD on its official website. It took until Friday for a figure of 3,412 to be acknowledged on the site, but by rough count, there were less than 1000 fans in the stands as the game got underway. At the other end of the spectrum, more than 80,000 watched Champions League winner Paris Saint-Germain vs. Atletico Madrid at the massive Rose Bowl in Los Angeles. The opening week for the monthlong tournament across the U.S. has seen some wildly fluctuating attendances. The Mamelodi Sundowns and Ulsan HD game stands out as the low point so far for FIFA and its president, Gianni Infantino, who is banking on the Club World Cup becoming one of the most popular and valuable competitions in sport. So sparse was the crowd that the word 'ORLANDO' — spelled out in yellow seats on one of the main stands at Inter&Co Stadium — was almost completely unobstructed. Crowd control stewards stood by the sidelines and monitored vast areas of empty spaces in the 25,500-capacity venue. The home of MLS team Orlando City — among the smallest stadiums chosen to host games for the tournament — was still massively oversized for the match, even with ticket prices falling to $23. A group game between largely unheralded teams from South Africa and South Korea was never likely to be a big seller. And storms, which forced kickoff to be delayed by more than an hour, may have led to no-shows. Still, it was an uncomfortably low turnout and one of three games in the opening week that drew less than 10,000 fans. Not even Chelsea, Messi, MLS can pack Atlanta There were also swathes of empty seats for Chelsea's game against L.A. FC in Atlanta. It was an afternoon kickoff on a weekday, but one of the Premier League's most popular teams vs. an opponent from MLS couldn't manage to fill a third of the 71,000-capacity stadium, with 22,000 fans showing up. 'I think the environment was a bit strange. You know, the stadium was almost empty,' Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca said, and even with Lionel Messi in town for the second game in Atlanta — Inter Miami's win against Porto — the crowd was far from capacity at 31,783. Club World Cup ticket prices Uncertainty over ticket sales had been a point of debate in the build up to the tournament, with prices falling dramatically before the opening game between Miami and Al Ahly last Saturday. An impressive crowd of nearly 61,000 watched that game at Hard Rock Stadium, though it is not known how many paid anywhere near the $349 that tickets were being quoted at in December. As of Tuesday, FIFA said 1.5 million tickets had been sold and more than 340,000 fans had attended the first eight games. Infantino proudly proclaimed the Club World Cup was growing into 'the undisputed pinnacle of global club football.' Kane calls Hard Rock Stadium a 'hostile' scene Numbers in Miami have been good — nothing lower than 55,000 and topping out at a near-capacity 63,587 for Bayern Munich vs. Boca Juniors. Bayern forward Harry Kane described the atmosphere inside a stadium dominated by Boca fans as 'hostile.' Crowds have still come to Miami in a week when the Florida Panthers were playing in the Stanley Cup Final. Boca and Real Madrid fans queued up for hours in sweltering heat after arriving early for games. Largest cup crowd was at the Rose Bowl The biggest crowd of the opening week was 80,619 for PSG vs. Atletico Madrid in L.A. For context, that is just short of the 84,163 who watched the English FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium and well above the 64,327 attendance for the Champions League final — European club soccer's biggest game. World Cup, Champions League comparisons While there was not a sellout game in the opening week, 10 of the first 24 matches have seen crowds in excess of 40,000, for an average of around 36,000. The average for the Champions League last season was just under 46,000, according to soccer data website Transfermarkt, but like-for-like comparisons are difficult, given this is a totally new format bringing club teams from around the world to the U.S. At the 2022 men's World Cup in Qatar there was an average attendance of just under 50,000 per game for the opening week. Of the 20 games played over that period, the highest attendance was 88,103 and all but two of those games had crowds in excess of 40,000. Looking ahead to the World Cup Focus on the Club World Cup has been intense for more than one reason. There is still uncertainty over how much of an appetite there is among fans for another elite soccer tournament and it was unknown how many would be prepared to follow their team to the U.S. According to FIFA, the biggest take up of tickets from abroad was from Brazil, Argentina and Mexico. Perhaps more significant is what this tournament says about the men's World Cup, which is largely being staged in the U.S. next year. The Club World Cup could be seen as a gauge of how America's interest in soccer has grown since last hosting the planet's biggest sporting event in 1994. In that sense, it's not just about statistics, but optics as well. Which is why FIFA will hope to avoid a repeat of the scenes at Mamelodi Sundowns vs. Ulsan HD. ___

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