Leagues Cup Announces Official Kickoff Times for the Columbus Crew's 2026 Phase One Matches
MLS Columbus Crew SC

Leagues Cup Announces Official Kickoff Times for the Columbus Crew's 2026 Phase One Matches

Published on May 8, 2026 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Columbus Crew SC News Release


COLUMBUS - The Leagues Cup Organizing Committee announced today official kickoff times for the Columbus Crew's Leagues Cup 2026 Phase One matchups. The Crew will host Atlas FC on Tuesday, Aug. 4 at 7:45 p.m. ET, while the Club Pachuca (Friday, Aug. 7) and Pumas UNAM (Tuesday, Aug. 11) tilts are set to kickoff at 7:30 p.m. ET. All three matches will be hosted at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field.

The Leagues Cup matchups mark the Crew's first meetings with Atlas and Pumas, which own a combined 10 Liga MX titles following Atlas' back-to-back championships in 2021 and 2022. The contest against Pachuca serves as a rematch of the Black & Gold's 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup Final played in Mexico on June 1.

The Crew - who in 2024 won the second edition of the tournament that combines North America's top soccer leagues - are unbeaten in Leagues Cup play (8-0-3). Forward Diego Rossi's eight goals are tied for the fourth-most in the competition's history.

TICKET INFO

Tickets to all three Black & Gold Phase One Matches are available below:

vs. Atlas FC (Tuesday, Aug. 4) at 7:45 p.m. ET

vs. Club Pachuca (Friday, Aug. 7) at 7:30 p.m. ET

vs. Pumas UNAM (Tuesday, Aug. 11) at 7:30 p.m. ET

Tickets to matches at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field are available at www.columbuscrew.com/tickets.

LEAGUES CUP 2026 FORMAT

Leagues Cup 2026 is set to take place from Tuesday, Aug. 4 through Sunday, Sept. 6. Matches will be contested across the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

The tournament will follow the same format as the 2025 edition, continuing a structure that emphasizes consistent inter-league play and a clear path to the championship:

The tournament will be played in two rounds:

Phase One

Knockout Rounds

Phase One

Each team will play three matches during Phase One.

All 54 Phase One matches will be played between MLS and LIGA MX clubs.

Knockout Rounds

The four advancing clubs from the MLS and LIGA MX tables will be placed in a fixed bracket to compete in the single-game elimination knockout rounds beginning with the quarterfinals, featuring only MLS vs. LIGA MX matchups.

The quarterfinal pairings will be decided based on Phase One performance.

MLS 1 vs. LIGA MX 4

MLS 2 vs. LIGA MX 3

MLS 3 vs. LIGA MX 2

MLS 4 vs. LIGA MX 1

The four winners of the quarterfinal matchups will face off in two semifinal fixtures. The Third-Place match and Final will determine the three clubs that qualify for the 2027 Concacaf Champions Cup.

No draws

Leagues Cup 2026 will maintain the "no draws" format.

Regulation draw: One point for both teams

Penalty shootout win: Two points

Regulation win: Three points

In the quarterfinals, semifinals, Third Place match and Final, any match tied at the end of regulation will be decided by a penalty shootout.

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Major League Soccer Stories from May 8, 2026


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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