Major League Soccer (MLS) and Liga MX released information Wednesday about the new tournament format and groups for the 2024 Leagues Cup. This is the second edition of the international competition, featuring all clubs from MLS and Liga MX.

The official CONCACAF Competition takes place from July 26-August 25, 2024. Games will be played in the United States and Canada, with the top three finishers gaining automatic qualification for the 2025 CONCACAF Champions Cup.

Format

The tournament features a tiered Leagues Cup Ranking system, as well as hubs for the highest-ranked Liga MX Clubs. The ranking will be based on both MLS and Liga MX Club performances based on points in the last 34 regular season matches. MLS Clubs will be ranked solely from the 2023 MLS Supporter Shield standings, with Liga MX clubs being ranked on the cumulative 34 matches in the 2023 Clausura and Apertura tournaments.

All Clubs — except the two Leagues’ champions — are divided into three tiers based on the Leagues Cup Ranking, (1-15, 16-30, 31-45), forming 15 Groups of three Clubs each, one club from each tier, prioritizing geographical and competitive balance among 45 Clubs. For this season, Leagues Cup will be played in two regions, East and West, with seven groups in the East and eight groups in the West, regionalizing travel for all participating Clubs.

Just like last year’s tournament, the Liga MX and MLS Cup Champions — Club America and Columbus Crew — have already received an automatic bye to the Round of 32. Club America and Columbus are not included in the Leagues Cup Ranking system.

Last season, Columbus Crew defeated Club America in the Group stage by a 4-1 scoreline, with Columbus claiming the top seed in the group.

Hub Privileges for Liga MX

The Liga MX Champion and three top-ranked Liga MX Clubs will be granted hub privileges. This will minimize Liga MX Club travel and reward those teams by playing in pre-determined venues as the home team, based on the Leagues Cup ranking. Club America will have hosting privileges through the Semifinals. C.F. Monterrey (No. 1 rank) through the Round of 16 and Tigers (No. 6 rank) throughout the Group Stage.

Venues will be announced alongside the Leagues Cup 2024 schedule and bracket at a later date.

Once the Group Stage is complete, the advancing 30 teams will be joined by Club America and Columbus Crew, being placed in a fixed bracket to compete in the single-game elimination Knockout Rounds, beginning with the Round of 32, followed by the Round of 16. The Leagues Cup third-place match and final will determine the three clubs that will qualify for the CONCACAF Champions Cup.

Leagues Cup will continue as last year with the matches finishing in a draw. If tied at the end of regulation, each team receives one point, with the winning club of the ensuing penalty shootout earning the additional point. Regulation wins count as three points.

Fans can watch Leagues Cup 2024 on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.