Today, the competition dates, participating teams, and format for Leagues Cup 2026 all got confirmed, with New York City FC one of the 36 teams set to take part in the tournament that pits 18 select MLS clubs against all 18 clubs from Mexico's Liga MX.
Every Mexican club is in, but Leagues Cup will once again only include the nine MLS Cup Playoffs-qualifying teams from each of the MLS Eastern and Western Conferences, meaning the 12 sides to miss out on postseason soccer in 2025 don't get a chance to make a run at Leagues Cup 2026. Here are the 18 teams from MLS who will be in the 2026 field:
- Austin FC
- Charlotte FC
- Chicago Fire FC
- FC Cincinnati
- Columbus Crew
- FC Dallas
- Inter Miami CF
- LAFC
- Minnesota United FC
- Nashville SC
- New York City FC
- Orlando City SC
- Philadelphia Union
- Portland Timbers
- Real Salt Lake
- San Diego FC
- Seattle Sounders FC
- Vancouver Whitecaps FC
The format for the tournament remains unchanged from 2025: Leagues Cup starts with Phase One, when the 36 teams each face three opponents from their opposite league, guaranteeing that all 54 Phase One games are Liga MX vs MLS match-ups. Only eight teams – four from MLS, four from Liga MX – then advance to the Knockout Rounds, with advancement based on seeding in the single table used for each league's 18 teams.
Andrew Leigh
The 2026 edition of Leagues Cup kicks off on Tuesday, August 4th and wraps up with the Leagues Cup Final played on Sunday, September 6th. There's a small gap left blank in the MLS schedule to accommodate Phase One of Leagues Cup, as seen through New York City FC playing Toronto FC on July 31, but then not playing another MLS regular-season match until they host Philadelphia Union on August 16th.
There will be at least three Phase One matches filled into that two-week void in the thick of the summer, but it remains to be seen which three Liga MX clubs NYCFC will face, or where those three Phase One matches will be played.
New York City is the 14th ranked team of the 36 total in the field. This is significant as it pertains to which Liga MX clubs NYCFC will face during Phase One, as the tournament organizers in 2025 grouped teams into three tiers and spread teams from each tier around to vary levels of opposition.
Last year, New York City played Puebla and León in Harrison, New Jersey, then faced just-crowned Liga MX Apertura champions Deportivo Toluca FC at Yankee Stadium. Puebla was one of the lowest-ranked Liga MX clubs, León in the middle, and Toluca in the top-tier, so expect a similar mix of Liga MX teams for 2026 opponents.
As in 2025, this Leagues Cup news means that New York City will be in the field for both the US Open Cup and Leagues Cup in 2026. They lost their one and only match in the Open Cup's Fourth Round in 2025 and were eliminated from Leagues Cup at the Phase One stage, finishing 16th out of the 18 MLS teams to compete.
Success in Leagues Cup could be rewarding, as once again in 2026, the top-three teams come the end of the tournament and the end of the dreaded Third Place Game will automatically qualify for the 2027 Concacaf Champions Cup.
Seattle Sounders FC won the 2025 trophy, beating Inter Miami CF and, arguably, setting Miami off on their late-season run to win MLS Cup. LA Galaxy won the 2025 Third Place game and earned an unlikely Champions Cup berth despite being the 26th-best team in the Supporters' Shield table.
Leagues Cup returning once more means the schedule will be as busy in 2026 as it was in 2025 for teams like NYCFC, with the added wild card of a month-long pause in play for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The final of the World Cup at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, is on July 19, 2026, so consider that the undercard to the main event that is the illustrious Leagues Cup when it returns a few weeks later.
