2025 Leagues Cup Explained
(image via Aldo Canale)
Leagues Cup is back for another edition, with plenty of changes for the 2025 version. The Houston Dynamo will take part in this year’s tournament as one of the 18 MLS teams, along with all 18 teams in Liga MX.
This year’s tournament will include only 18 teams from Major League Soccer, not all teams as we have seen in the past. The top nine teams from last year’s Western and Eastern Conference (the teams that made the playoffs) will participate from MLS. Vancouver Whitecaps FC, since they also played in the Concacaf Champions Cup, will not play in Leagues Cup and are being replaced by San Diego FC.
The Dynamo, as well as all of the other 17 MLS teams, will play three matches in Phase One against Liga MX opponents. All 18 Liga MX teams will play three matches against MLS teams. The Dynamo are in the Western Region and are slotted into Western group 1 along with Club Tigres, LAFC, Club Pachuca, San Diego FC, and Mazatlan FC.
(via Leagues Cup Tournament Regulations)
In each teams’ three matches, points will be awared. There will be three points for a win in regular time and zero points for a loss in regular time. If a match is tied after regular time it will go straight to penalty kicks with the winner of the shootout getting two points and the loser getting one.
As teams gain points they will be in a table with all of the other teams in their league. This means there will be one big table of the 18 MLS teams and one table of the 18 Liga MX teams. The top four teams from each league in their table will advance to the knockout rounds. Ties will be broken by 1) number of wins in regular time, 2) goal difference, 3) goals scored, and other tiebreakers, if needed.
In the knockout rounds, the four teams from MLS and four teams from Liga MX will go into a bracket of eight teams. The number one seeded MLS team will play the number four seeded Liga MX team. Number two MLS will play number three in Liga MX, and so on. The losers of the semifinal will play in a third place match as the top three teams in Leagues Cup will earn a spot in next year’s Concacaf Champions Cup.
(via Leagues Cup Tournament Regulations)
For the Dynamo, it won’t be easy. They will play all three Phase One matches at Shell Energy Stadium but the opposition will be tough. They begin tomorrow with Mexican powerhouse Tigres before taking on Mazatlan and Pachuca. In order to be one of the four best MLS teams and advance, you would think Houston will need to win at least two of those matches. If they can finish with six or more points, they will have a chance to advance.
Outside of the Dynamo, Shell Energy Stadium will be involved even without the local team playing. Club America will “host” Minnesota United on Saturday at Shell. There are no games being played in Mexico but the best Liga MX teams get host privileges. One of the stadiums that can host their matches is Shell Energy Stadium. So, we will have that match in Houston, with the possibility of more in the knockout stage.
So, what do you think about this year’s tournament and the changes? Let us know @BayouCitySoccer on social media!
