Leagues Cup announces schedule changes

At least some of the long-simmering rumors about the 2025 Leagues Cup were formally confirmed on Monday when MLS and Liga MX announced some schedule and format changes.

The tournament will run from July 29-Aug. 31 with the promise of more interleague matches than previous editions. That start date is about a week later than this year’s tournament, and about two weeks after the Club World Cup ends. The other notable change is that the two leagues will no longer take a break, which basically means all the games will be played midweek. The tournament will continue to be played exclusively in the United States and Canada, with the top three teams still getting Concacaf Champions Cup berths.

Aside from that, though, the actual format and other details won’t be revealed until the new year.

In the past couple of weeks, there has been credible reporting about the tournament revamp, with reports saying it will feature 18 teams from each league, which would presumably mean the Sounders are participating. While that’s an awful lot of teams to squeeze into a tournament that only lasts about a month and doesn’t require a break from league play, there is a way to do it.

Here’s how:

• On the first midweek date (July 29-31), there would be four games featuring the four lowest-ranked teams from each league.
• The four winners from those games would advance to the following midweek (Aug. 5-7) where the 28 other teams would be waiting in the Round of 32.
• The third midweek (Aug. 12-14) would feature the 16 winners from the Round of 32 games.
• The fourth midweek (Aug. 19-21) would feature the eight winners of the Round of 16 games.
• The fifth midweek (Aug. 26-28) would feature the four winners of the quarterfinals.
• The final weekend (Aug. 30-31) would feature the two losers of the semifinals in a third-place game and the two winners in the championship game, with the winner of the third-place game and both finalists earning CCC berths.