Leagues Cup bracket, schedule, standings as Lionel Messi, Inter Miami win 2023 final

Kyle Bonn

Leagues Cup bracket, schedule, standings as Lionel Messi, Inter Miami win 2023 final image

The 2023 Leagues Cup for the first time featured all 47 top-flight clubs from the United States, Canada, and Mexico doing battle in a month-long competition that will crown the best club between Major League Soccer (MLS) and Mexico's Liga MX.

Both MLS and Liga MX took a break from regularly scheduled domestic action to focus on this competition, ensuring all eyes will be on the Leagues Cup to see who reigns supreme across the top two North American leagues. The winner is also awarded a berth to next season's CONCACAF Champions Cup.

The Round of 16 started with 11 MLS clubs and five Liga MX teams, and at the end, Lionel Messi reigned supreme, leading his new club Inter Miami to the title, its first major trophy in club history.

Messi won the Golden Boot as well, scoring 10 goals through seven matches in the competition, blowing the rest of the competition out of the water.

MORE: How to watch every Leagues Cup match on Apple TV

2023 Leagues Cup bracket for knockout stage

After the group stage, 30 teams advanced to join the two defending league champions (LAFC and Pachuca) in a bracket-style knockout tournament determining the ultimate winner.

All matches are being played in MLS stadiums. For Round of 32 matches involving two MLS clubs, the host was determined by group stage performance (with group tiebreakers used, if necessary). For Round of 16 matches involving two MLS clubs, the 2022 Supporters' Shield rankings determined the host.

All knockout round matches go straight to a penalty shootout if there's a tie after 90 minutes of regulation, as per tournament rules. No extra time is played.

Third Place match

Date Time (ET) Match
Sat, Aug. 19 6 p.m. Philadelphia Union 3-0 Monterrey

Final

Date Time (ET) Match
Sat, Aug. 19 9 p.m. Nashville SC 1-1 Inter Miami
(Inter Miami win 11-10 on pens)

Here's how the previous knockout rounds unfolded, with the group standings and results following further below.

Semifinals

Date Time (ET) Match
Tue, Aug. 15 7 p.m. Philadelphia Union 1-4 Inter Miami
Tue, Aug. 15 9:30 p.m. Monterrey 0-2 Nashville SC

Quarterfinals

Date Time (ET) Match TV/Streaming
Fri, Aug. 11 8 p.m. Philadelphia Union 2-1 Queretaro MLS Season Pass
Fri, Aug. 11 8:30 p.m. Inter Miami 4-0 Charlotte FC MLS Season Pass
Fri., Aug. 11 8:30 p.m. Nashville SC 5-0 Minnesota United MLS Season Pass
Fri, Aug. 11 10:30 p.m. LAFC 2-3 Monterrey MLS Season Pass

Round of 32

Note: Due to a stadium conflict, Charlotte FC vs. Cruz Azul was played in Frisco, Texas. The only Liga MX vs. Liga MX Round of 32 match (Pumas vs Queretaro) was held at Audi Field in D.C.

Date Time (ET) Match
Wed, Aug. 2 8 p.m. Inter Miami 3-1 Orlando City
Wed, Aug. 2 8 p.m. FC Dallas 2-1 Mazatlan
Wed, Aug. 2 9 p.m. Houston Dynamo 0-0 Pachuca
(Houston advance 5-3 on pens)
Wed, Aug. 2 10:30 p.m. LAFC 7-1 FC Juarez
Thu, Aug. 3 8 p.m. Pumas UNAM 0-1 Queretaro
Thu, Aug. 3 8 p.m. New England 2-2 Atlas
(New England advance 8-7 on pens)
Thu, Aug. 4 8 p.m. Philadelphia 0-0 D.C. United
(Philadelphia advance 5-4 on pens)
Thu, Aug. 3 8 p.m. NY Red Bulls 1-0 NYCFC
Thu, Aug. 3 8:30 p.m. Charlotte FC 0-0 Cruz Azul
(Charlotte advance 4-3 on pens)
Thu, Aug. 3 10:30 p.m. Real Salt Lake 3-1 Club Leon
Fri, Aug. 4 8 p.m. Chicago Fire 0-1 Club America
Fri, Aug. 4 8 p.m. Columbus Crew 3-3 Minnesota
(Minnesota advance 4-3 on pens)
Fri, Aug. 4 8 p.m. FC Cincinnati 1-1 Nashville SC
(Nashville advance 5-4 on pens)
Fri, Aug. 4 9 p.m. Sporting KC 1-4 Toluca
Fri, Aug. 4 10 p.m. Portland Timbers 0-1 Monterrey
Fri, Aug. 4 10 p.m. Vancouver 1-1 Tigres UANL
(Tigres advance 5-3 on pens)

Round of 16

In the Round of 16, the MLS team automatically hosts if it's an MLS vs. Liga MX matchup. However, in MLS vs. MLS matchups the home team is determined based on the higher-ranked team in the 2022 MLS Supporters' Shield standings.

For example, since FC Dallas finished with the 7th-best record in 2022, and Inter Miami had the 12th-best, Dallas hosted Messi and Inter Miami in the Round of 16.

Date Time (ET) Match TV/Streaming
Sun, Aug. 6 9:30 p.m. FC Dallas 4-4 Inter Miami
(Inter Miami advance 5-3 on pens)
MLS Season Pass
Mon, Aug 7 8 p.m. NE Revolution 1-1 Queretaro
(Queretaro advance 4-3 on pens)
MLS Season Pass
Mon, Aug 7 10 p.m. Houston Dynamo 1-2 Charlotte FC MLS Season Pass
Tue, Aug. 8 8 p.m. Philadelphia 1-1 NY Red Bulls
(Philadelphia advance 4-3 on pens)
MLS Season Pass
Tue, Aug 8 8 p.m. Nashville SC 2-2 Club America
(Nashville advance 6-5 on pens)
MLS Season Pass
Tue, Aug 8 8:30 p.m. Minnesota United 2-2 Toluca
(Minnesota advance 4-2 on pens)
MLS Season Pass
Tue, Aug 8 10 p.m. Tigres 0-1 Monterrey (in Houston) MLS Season Pass
Tue, Aug 8 10:30 p.m. LAFC 4-0 Real Salt Lake MLS Season Pass

How to watch Leagues Cup live stream, TV channel

Every Leagues Cup match will be available to stream around the world on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.

In addition, select Leagues Cup matches will be televised in the USA by TUDN and Univision, which both stream on Fubo, available to new users on a free trial

  TV channel Streaming
USA TUDN, Univision
(select matches only)
All matches: Apple TV (MLS Season Pass)

Select matches: Fubo, TUDN site/app
Rest of the world All matches: Apple TV (MLS Season Pass)

2023 Leagues Cup group standings

The competition began with a group stage featuring 15 groups made up of three teams each. The top two teams advanced from each group to the Round of 32.

In the group stage, matches that ended in a draw after 90 minutes headed to a penalty shootout, with the winner of the shootout earning an extra point in the standings (two points instead of one).

Group stage

How did they come up with these groups? The top 16 teams in MLS and Liga MX from last season's standings were seeded from top to bottom.

The top seed from each league (LAFC from MLS and Pachuca from Liga MX) was given a direct berth to the knockout rounds, while the remaining 15 seeds were paired up against the other league with higher-seeded teams facing the lowest-seeded teams on the opposite side.

For example, the MLS No. 2-seed (Philadelphia Union) was matched with the Liga MX No. 16-seed (Tijuana) to create one pairing. The third team for each group — mostly hailing from MLS since there are 29 MLS clubs and 18 Liga MX clubs — was selected based on geographical location, thus creating the concept of regional groups: East, South, Central, and West.

East 1 standings, schedule

Rank Club Pts W-D-L GD
1. Philadelphia Union-Q 6 2-0-0 +6
2. Queretaro-Q 3 1-0-1 -3
3. Tijuana 0 0-0-2 -3
Date Time (ET) Match Location TV/Streaming
July 22 8 p.m. Philadelphia Union 3-1 Tijuana Chester, PA MLS Season Pass
July 26 7:30 p.m. Philadelphia Union 5-1 Queretaro Chester, PA MLS Season Pass
July 30 7:30 p.m. Club Tijuana 0-1 Queretaro Chester, PA MLS Season Pass

East 2 standings, schedule

Rank Club Pts W-D-L GD
1. Pumas UNAM-Q 4 1-1-0 +3
2. D.C. United-Q 3 1-0-1 -2
3. CF Montreal 2 0-1-1 -1
Date Time (ET) Match Location TV/Streaming
July 22 7:30 p.m. CF Montreal 2-2 Pumas UNAM
(Montreal win 4-2 on pens)
Montreal, QB MLS Season Pass
July 26 7:30 p.m. CF Montreal 0-1 D.C. United Montreal, QB MLS Season Pass
July 29 7:00 p.m. D.C. United 0-3 Pumas UNAM Washington, DC MLS Season Pass

East 3 standings, schedule

Rank Club Pts W-D-L GD
1. Atlas-Q 6 2-0-0 +2
2. NYCFC-Q 3 1-0-1 +4
3. Toronto FC 0 0-0-2 -6
Date Time (ET) Match Location TV/Streaming
July 23 7:00 p.m. NYCFC 0-1 Atlas New York, NY MLS Season Pass
July 26 7:30 p.m. NYCFC 5-0 Toronto FC Harrison, NJ MLS Season Pass
July 30 7:30 p.m. Toronto FC 0-1 Atlas Toronto, ON MLS Season Pass

East 4 standings, schedule

Rank Club Pts W-D-L GD
1. NY Red Bulls-Q 5 1-1-0 +1
2. NE Revolution-Q 4 1-1-0 +4
3. Atletico San Luis 0 0-0-2 -5
Date Time (ET) Match Location TV/Streaming
July 22 7:30 p.m. NY Red Bulls 0-0 New England
(NY Red Bulls win 4-2 on pens)
Harrison, NJ MLS Season Pass
July 26 7:30 p.m. New England 5-1 Atletico San Luis Foxborough, MA MLS Season Pass
July 30 7:30 p.m. NY Red Bulls 2-1 Atletico San Luis Harrison, NJ MLS Season Pass

South 1 standings, schedule

Rank Club Pts W-D-L GD
1. Mazatlan-Q 5 1-1-0 +2
2. FC Juarez-Q 4 1-1-0 +2
3. Austin FC 0 0-0-2 -4
Date Time (ET) Match Location TV/Streaming
July 21 10:00 p.m. Austin FC 1-3 Mazatlan Austin, TX MLS Season Pass
July 25 8:30 p.m. Mazatlan 1-1 Juarez
(Mazatlan win 4-2 on pens)
Austin, TX MLS Season Pass
July 29 8:30 p.m. Austin FC 1-3 Juarez Austin, TX MLS Season Pass

South 2 standings, schedule

Rank Club Pts W-D-L GD
1. Orlando City-Q 5 1-1-0 +1
2. Houston Dynamo-Q 3 0-2-0 0
3. Santos Laguna 1 0-1-1 -1
Date Time (ET) Match Location TV/Streaming
July 21 7:30 p.m. Orlando City 1-1 Houston Dynamo
(Orlando City win 5-4 on pens)
Orlando, FL MLS Season Pass
July 25 8:00 p.m. Houston Dynamo 2-2 Santos Laguna
(Houston win 5-4 on pens)
Houston, TX MLS Season Pass
July 29 7:30 p.m. Orlando City 3-2 Santos Laguna Orlando, FL MLS Season Pass

South 3 standings, schedule

Rank Club Pts W-D-L GD
1. Inter Miami-Q 6 2-0-0 +5
2. Cruz Azul-Q 2 0-1-1 -1
3. Atlanta United 1 0-1-1 -4
Date Time (ET) Match Location TV/Streaming
July 21 8:00 p.m. Inter Miami 2-1 Cruz Azul Ft. Lauderdale, FL MLS Season Pass
July 25 7:30 p.m. Inter Miami 4-0 Atlanta United Ft. Lauderdale, FL MLS Season Pass
July 29 8:00 p.m. Atlanta United 1-1 Cruz Azul
(Cruz Azul win 5-4 on pens)
Atlanta, GA MLS Season Pass

South 4 standings, schedule

Rank Club Pts W-D-L GD
1. Charlotte FC-Q 5 1-1-0 +3
2. FC Dallas-Q 4 1-1-0 +3
3. Necaxa 0 0-0-2 -6
Date Time (ET) Match Location TV/Streaming
July 21 8:30 p.m. FC Dallas 2-2 Charlotte FC
(Charlotte win 4-1 on pens)
Frisco, TX MLS Season Pass
July 25 8:30 p.m. FC Dallas 3-0 Necaxa Frisco, TX MLS Season Pass
July 29 7:30 p.m. Charlotte FC 4-1 Necaxa Charlotte, NC MLS Season Pass

Central 1 standings, schedule

Rank Club Pts W-D-L GD
1. Columbus Crew-Q 6 2-0-0 +4
2. Club America-Q 3 1-0-1 +1
3. St. Louis City 0 0-0-2 -5
Date Time (ET) Match Location TV/Streaming
July 23 7:30 p.m. Columbus Crew 2-1 St Louis City Columbus, OH MLS Season Pass
July 27 10:00 p.m. St. Louis City 0-4 Club America St. Louis, MO MLS Season Pass
July 31 8:00 p.m. Columbus Crew 4-1 Club America Columbus, OH MLS Season Pass

Central 2 standings, schedule

Rank Club Pts W-D-L GD
1. Chicago Fire-Q 4 1-1-0 +1
2. Minnesota United-Q 3 1-0-1 +3
3. Puebla 2 0-1-1 -4
Date Time (ET) Match Location TV/Streaming
July 23 9:00 p.m. Minnesota United 4-0 Puebla St. Paul, MN MLS Season Pass
July 27 8:30 p.m. Minnesota United 2-3 Chicago Fire St. Paul, MN MLS Season Pass
July 31 8:00 p.m. Chicago Fire 1-1 Puebla
(Puebla win 10-9 on pens)
Bridgeview, IL MLS Season Pass

Central 3 standings, schedule

Rank Club Pts W-D-L GD
1. FC Cincinnati-Q 5 1-1-0 +2
2. Sporting KC-Q 4 1-1-0 +1
3. Chivas Guadalajara 0 0-0-2 -3
Date Time (ET) Match Location TV/Streaming
July 23 7:30 p.m. FC Cincinnati 3-3 Sporting KC
(Cincinnati win 4-2 on pens)
Cincinnati, OH MLS Season Pass
July 27 8:00 p.m. FC Cincinnati 3-1 Guadalajara
(Resumed July 28, 2-0 @ 60th min)
Cincinnati, OH MLS Season Pass
July 31 10:00 p.m. Sporting KC 1-0 Guadalajara Kansas City, MO MLS Season Pass

Central 4 standings, schedule

Rank Club Pts W-D-L GD
1. Toluca-Q 6 2-0-0 +4
2. Nashville SC-Q 3 1-0-1 0
3. Colorado Rapids 0 0-0-2 -4
Date Time (ET) Match Location TV/Streaming
July 23 8:30 p.m. Nashville 2-1 Colorado Rapids Nashville, TN MLS Season Pass
July 27 8:30 p.m. Nashville 3-4 Toluca Nashville, TN MLS Season Pass
July 31 9:30 p.m. Colorado Rapids 1-4 Toluca Commerce City, CO MLS Season Pass

West 1 standings, schedule

Rank Club Pts W-D-L GD
1. Tigres UANL-Q 6 2-0-0 +2
2. Portland Timbers-Q 3 1-0-1 +1
3. San Jose Earthquakes 0 0-0-2 -3
Date Time (ET) Match Location TV/Streaming
July 22 10:00 p.m. Portland Timbers 2-0 SJ Earthquakes Portland, OR MLS Season Pass
July 26 10:00 p.m. Portland Timbers 1-2 Tigres UANL Portland, OR MLS Season Pass
July 30 11:00 p.m. SJ Earthquakes 0-1 Tigres UANL San Jose, CA MLS Season Pass

West 2 standings, schedule

Rank Club Pts W-D-L GD
1. Monterrey-Q 6 2-0-0 +5
2. Real Salt Lake-Q 3 1-0-1 0
3. Seattle Sounders 0 0-0-2 -5
Date Time (ET) Match Location TV/Streaming
July 22 9:30 p.m. Real Salt Lake 3-0 Seattle Sandy, UT MLS Season Pass
July 26 9:30 p.m. Real Salt Lake 0-3 Monterrey Sandy, UT MLS Season Pass
July 30 9:00 p.m. Seattle 2-4 Monterrey Seattle, WA MLS Season Pass
Fubo, UniMas, TUDN

West 3 standings, schedule

Rank Club Pts W-D-L GD
1. Club Leon-Q 5 1-1-0 +1
2. Vancouver Whitecaps-Q 4 1-1-0 +1
3. LA Galaxy 0 0-0-2 -1
Date Time (ET) Match Location TV/Streaming
July 21 10:30 p.m. Vancouver 2-2 Club Leon
(Leon win 16-15 on pens)
Vancouver, BC MLS Season Pass
July 25 10:30 p.m. LA Galaxy 0-1 Club Leon Carson, CA MLS Season Pass
July 30 9:00 p.m. LA Galaxy 1-2 Vancouver Carson, CA MLS Season Pass

Kyle Bonn

Kyle Bonn Photo

Kyle Bonn, is a Syracuse University broadcast journalism graduate with over a decade of experience covering soccer globally. Kyle specializes in soccer tactics and betting, with a degree in data analytics. Kyle also does TV broadcasts for Wake Forest soccer, and has had previous stops with NBC Soccer and IMG College. When not covering the game, he has long enjoyed loyalty to the New York Giants, Yankees, and Fulham. Kyle enjoys playing racquetball and video games when not watching or covering sports.