Leagues Cup begins on Tuesday, and Austin FC's portion of it begins on Thursday. Here's a quick guide to how the newly streamlined tournament will work.
The 2026 edition of Leagues Cup begins on Tuesday, with the slogan, "Three countries, two leagues, one champion," and a streamlined format.
You may be asking, "So how does it work this time?" about the tournament that has changed parts of its format each time it has been played. In under 250 words, here are the most important things to know.
It takes six total matches to go home with hardware and a spot in Concacaf Champions Cup (plus additional berths for the runner-up and third-place finisher). Only two rounds (the semifinal and final/third-place match) even can be played against a team from one’s own league.
The rounds progress as follows:
Phase One (starts Tuesday)
Every team plays three teams from the other league;
Austin FC plays Tijuana, Puebla, and Club América (in that order), all at Q2 Stadium;
Austin is "home" against Tijuana (Thursday, Aug. 6) and Puebla (Sunday, Aug. 9), and "away" against Club América (Thursday, Aug. 13);
There are no ties; draws result in PK shootouts, and the winner gets an extra point (two rather than one) in the standings; and
The top four MLS and top four Liga MX teams (based on total win/loss/draw/PK-winning-draw points) advance to the quarterfinals.
Quarterfinals (Aug 25-27)
Matches will still be MLS vs. Liga MX; and
Draws result in a PK shootout with no extra time to determine the winner.
Semifinals (Sept 1-2)
This will be the first time in the tournament that an MLS team can play another MLS team (or a Liga MX team can play another Liga MX team).
Final and Third Place Match (both on Sept 6)
Winner, runner-up and third place qualify for Concacaf Champions Cup; and
Winner gets a bye straight into the CCC Round of 16.
Verde All Day is a reader-supported online publication covering Austin FC. Additional support is provided by Austin Telco Federal Credit Union. For more coverage, check out Emergency Podcast! (an Austin FC Podcast) wherever you get your podcasts.
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The 2026 edition of Leagues Cup begins on Tuesday, with the slogan, "Three countries, two leagues, one champion," and a streamlined format.
You may be asking, "So how does it work this time?" about the tournament that has changed parts of its format each time it has been played. In under 250 words, here are the most important things to know.
It takes six total matches to go home with hardware and a spot in Concacaf Champions Cup (plus additional berths for the runner-up and third-place finisher). Only two rounds (the semifinal and final/third-place match) even can be played against a team from one’s own league.
The rounds progress as follows:
Phase One (starts Tuesday)
Quarterfinals (Aug 25-27)
Semifinals (Sept 1-2)
Final and Third Place Match (both on Sept 6)
Verde All Day is a reader-supported online publication covering Austin FC. Additional support is provided by Austin Telco Federal Credit Union. For more coverage, check out Emergency Podcast! (an Austin FC Podcast) wherever you get your podcasts.
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