It looks like Leagues Cup will be back in 2025.
Last December, Ernst Tanner, the sporting director of Philadelphia Union, "spilled the beans" when he said in his End of Season Press Conference that his team was "out of Leagues Cup." That ignited speculation that the tournament could be altered for 2025, or possibly even canceled.
It turns out that the simpler answer is correct: The 2025 edition of Leagues Cup will feature 36 teams, 18 each from Major League Soccer and Liga MX. (Shoutout to Occam's razor.) The tournament will take place July 29 to August 31, 2025.
36 teams from MLS and Liga MX
That's a significant reduction from the 47 teams that participated in the tournament's first two years. With San Diego FC joining MLS this year, an even 48 teams should have participated in 2025, 30 from MLS and 18 from Liga MX. Instead, that number will be 36.
New York City FC is among the MLS teams that will participate in the tournament. This comes on the heels of the news that New York City will be one of 16 MLS teams participating in the 2025 US Open Cup, returning to the tournament after sitting it out in 2024.
The slightly confusing composition of the various North American cups reflect MLS's new policy that no club will participate in more than two tournaments in addition to the regular season and the MLS Cup Playoffs. That creates a bit of a puzzle when scheduling the Canadian Championship, Concacaf Champions Cup, Leagues Cup, and US Open Cup.
Hudson River Blue Staff
Advantage given to lowest-finishing teams
New York City, along with most MLS teams, will send their First Team to two tournaments. But 13 teams will participate in just one. They are the 12 MLS teams that finished at the bottom of the 2024 Supporters' Shield table, plus expansion side San Diego.
They are Atlanta United, Austin FC, Chicago FC, DC United, FC Dallas, Nashville SC, New England Revolution, Philadelphia Union, San Diego FC, San Jose Earthquakes, Sporting Kansas City, St. Louis City, and Toronto FC.
Eight on that list that are participating in the US Open Cup will be seeded teams that will automatically host their Round of 32 games. They are Austin, Chicago, DC United, Dallas, Nashville SC, Philadelphia, San Jose, and St. Louis.
It looks like fishing last doesn't hurt too much, at least in the medium term. You just need to trust the process.
