LOS ANGELES.- Mexican soccer will challenge from Tuesday to Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski and the rest of the figures of the MLS in search of his first title Leagues Cupin an edition that ends with the exclusive home of the North American league.
The 18 teams of the Liga MX and 18 of the 30 of the MLS will compete in this annual competition in the style of the World Cup which concludes with the final on September 6.
Mexico, which has monopolized 20 of the last 21 trophies of the Concacaf Champions Cuphas not placed a single finalist in the Leagues Cup since the 2023 expansion.
That year the tournament became an official competition, awarding three tickets to the Concachampions, and saw Messi lift the title in his memorable first competition with the team’s uniform. InterMiami.
Inter returned to the final in 2025, but were beaten 3-0 by the Seattle Sounders in a duel marked by a brawl that broke out after the final whistle.
The Uruguayan Luis Suarezwho spat on the Sounders security chief on the grass, received a six-game ban that will prevent him from participating in this edition.
Messi will be flanked by his compatriot Rodrigo DePaul and the Brazilian Casemirorecently landed in Miami, to fight for his first trophy after the tough defeat in the final of the World Cup with Argentina.
Inter, which occupies second place in the MLS Eastern Conference After 18 days, he will debut on Wednesday in the Leagues Cup against the Atlético San Luis.
Later you will also receive Monterey already Lion in the group stage, which ends on August 13 with the top four in each league advancing to the quarterfinals.
First games in Mexico
In addition to Messi, the MLS will boast of its other top figures: the Polish Lewandowski (Chicago Fire), the French Antoine Griezmann (Orlando City), the South Korean Son Heung-min (Los Angeles FC) and German Thomas Müller (Vancouver Whitecaps).
The top scorer in the MLS, the Belgian Hugo Cuyperswill curiously compete with a Mexican squad, Montereyto which he was transferred at the end of July by the Chicago Fire.
The team trained by Matías Almeyda, which also has the Argentine Lucas Ocampos and the Uruguayan Diego Rossiis one of the main contenders for achieving the Liga MX finally enter the Leagues Cup record.
They also raise their hands Blue Cross from the Argentine Jose Paradelatournament champion Closing 2026 and the trophy Champion of Championsthe Cougars of the Costa Rican goalkeeper Keylor Navas and the Toluca who directs Antonio Mohamed.
Aztec football will have to demonstrate its commitment to a tournament that interrupts the Opening 2026 when it only has three dates and in which they have always been forced to travel more than their American and Canadian rivals.
This year, for the first time, the tournament will cross the border so that four of the 54 group stage matches will be held in Mexican territory: one of them in Aztec Stadium of the Americaanother on the court Tigers and two more in Toluca.
For Clint Dempseybegin to alleviate the “enormous advantage” of the MLS home field will strengthen the tournament that, in his opinion, best represents the rivalry between both leagues.
“I like the time of the season in which it is played,” the former captain of the US team told AFP.
“In the Champions CupMLS teams are at a greater disadvantage by playing right at the end of the preseason,” he remembers. “Now everyone is at their maximum level of performance and you can have a better measure of which is the best league.”
