Inter Miami of Lionel Messi will face Atlas, Necaxa, and Pumas UNAM in the first phase of the Leagues Cup, which presented its schedule for the 2025 edition this Tuesday.

Opening Day and Messi's Debut

The opening day will take place on July 29 with six matches: Toluca vs. Columbus Crew, New York City vs. Puebla, Montreal vs. León, Tigres vs. Houston Dynamo, Los Angeles FC (LAFC) vs. Mazatlán, and Pachuca vs. San Diego. Inter Miami will debut on July 30 against Atlas. The other two matches in this first phase for Messi and his team will be on August 2 against Necaxa and on August 6 against Pumas UNAM.

The Renewed Format of the Leagues Cup

The Leagues Cup this year introduces its new format with 18 teams from MLS and 18 teams from Liga MX. The third edition of this tournament will be played from July 29 to August 31, with no break for MLS or Liga MX this time. In 2025, not all 30 teams from MLS will play, only 18, matching the number of teams in Liga MX. The tournament will feature the nine best teams from each MLS conference last year from the U.S. and Canada.

Additionally, the tournament will have a new scoring and ranking system, and in the quarter-finals, both leagues will have four teams. The Leagues Cup in 2025 will also reward six teams from Liga MX with fewer travels and home advantages due to their strong recent performances: América, Cruz Azul, Toluca, Tigres, Monterrey, and Pumas.