About the Leagues Cup simulator
The Leagues Cup is the tournament that pits MLS against Liga MX: 36 clubs, 18 from each league, and a rule that makes it different from any other competition. In the league phase no team faces a rival from its own championship, so all 54 matches are MLS against Liga MX. Each club plays three, and there are no draws: if the score is level after 90 minutes it goes straight to penalties, with no extra time. Winning in regulation time is worth 3 points, winning the shootout is worth 2 and losing it is worth 1.
The two leagues are ranked in separate tables, and the top four in each go straight through to the quarter-finals. The bracket is not drawn: the MLS leader faces the fourth-placed side in Liga MX, the second faces the third, and so on, so two teams from the same league cannot meet before the semi-finals. Every knockout tie is a single match with no extra time. This simulator loads the two real tables and the official fixtures: type in the scores, pick who wins each penalty shootout and watch the tables and the bracket reshuffle all the way to the final. It is free and needs no signup.
How to use the Leagues Cup simulator
- 1Open the matches tab and type in the score of every league-phase game; the two tables recalculate on their own with the 3, 2 and 1 point system.
- 2If you leave a match level, choose which team wins the penalty shootout: without that the result does not count, because there are no draws in this competition.
- 3Check the MLS and Liga MX tables to see who holds the four places that grant a spot in the quarter-finals.
- 4Move to the bracket, where the matchups build themselves from your tables, and pick a winner in each tie until you crown the champion and settle third place.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Leagues Cup?
It is the official tournament that pits MLS clubs against Liga MX clubs. It features 36 teams, 18 from each league, and in the league phase only clubs from different championships face each other.
Why are there no draws in the Leagues Cup?
Because the rules remove the draw as a result. If a league-phase match ends level after 90 minutes it goes straight to penalties, with no extra time: the shootout winner takes 2 points and the loser 1. A win inside the 90 minutes is worth 3.
How many teams reach the knockout stage?
Eight: the top four in the MLS table and the top four in the Liga MX table. There is no round of 32 or round of 16, teams go straight into the quarter-finals.
How is the quarter-final bracket set?
It is a fixed bracket, with no draw: the MLS leader plays the fourth-placed team in Liga MX, the second plays the third, the third plays the second and the fourth plays the first. That is why two clubs from the same league cannot meet before the semi-finals.
What does the champion win?
Besides the title, a place in the following year's Concacaf Champions Cup, entering straight in the Round of 16. The runner-up and the third-placed team also qualify for that tournament.
Who has won the Leagues Cup?
In the expanded format it has always been won by an MLS club: Inter Miami in 2023, Columbus Crew in 2024 and Seattle Sounders in 2025, who beat Inter Miami themselves 3-0 in the final.