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MLS Announces Qualification Criteria for Official North American Cup Competitions

January 28, 2025 - Major League Soccer (MLS) News Release


Major League Soccer today announced MLS club qualification criteria for official North American cup competitions during the 2025 and 2026 seasons, and the 2025 participants. The four tournaments -- the Concacaf Champions Cup, Leagues Cup, Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, and TELUS Canadian Championship -- provide important opportunities for clubs to compete for championships outside of MLS play.

In addition to these North American tournaments, Seattle Sounders FC and Inter Miami CF will also represent MLS in the FIFA Club World Cup in 2025, joining other top teams from around the world this summer.

Cup Qualification Overview

The framework for MLS club participation in North American cup competitions rewards club performance, manages player workload, and ensures that every MLS club has the opportunity to compete in at least one, but no more than two, North American competitions that run concurrently with the MLS league season.

This qualification structure will be in place for the 2025 and 2026 MLS seasons, providing a guideline for MLS' qualification parameters during this exceptional moment -- as the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 and FIFA World Cup 2026 are played in North America. This process will be re-evaluated for 2027 as the landscape of competitions continues to evolve. The qualification for each competition were determined as follows:

Concacaf Champions Cup: Criteria set by Concacaf.

Leagues Cup: Eighteen total MLS clubs qualify to match the 18 participating LIGA MX clubs.

The top nine teams in each MLS Conference from the prior season qualify.

Modification for 2025

Due to Vancouver Whitecaps FC's participation in the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup and defending their TELUS Canadian Championship title, Vancouver will not participate in Leagues Cup 2025.

Instead, expansion club San Diego FC will join the Leagues Cup 2025 tournament. The adjustment allows for all 30 MLS teams to compete in at least one, but not more than two, North American cup competitions.

Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup: Aligned with the 2025 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup format, the number of MLS first teams participating in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup has increased from 8 to 16. In addition, 10 MLS NEXT Pro teams will compete in the tournament. The 16 participating MLS teams are determined as follows:

Only U.S.-based clubs are eligible to participate in the U.S. Open Cup.

MLS teams not competing in either Leagues Cup or Concacaf Champions Cup automatically qualify for the U.S. Open Cup. For the 2025 tournament, this accounts for nine of the 16 MLS teams.

The remaining teams are determined by Supporters' Shield standings, excluding teams competing in Concacaf Champions Cup. For the 2025 tournament, this accounts for seven of the 16 MLS teams.

Canadian Championship: All three Canadian-based MLS clubs compete.

Competition Highlights for 2025

Concacaf Champions Cup: 10 MLS clubs will compete in the 2025 tournament, which begins on February 4 and concludes June 1. The MLS Cup Champion (LA Galaxy), and the Leagues Cup Champion (Columbus Crew) will begin tournament play in the Round of 16 while the eight other MLS teams will begin play in Round One.

Leagues Cup: 18 MLS clubs will face off against all 18 Liga MX teams. Leagues Cup takes place from July 29 to August 31.

Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup: The 16 competing MLS teams will enter the U.S. Open Cup in the Round of 32, with eight of those teams hosting their opening matches. The 10 MLS NEXT Pro teams will enter the tournament in the First Round.

Canadian Championship: Toronto FC, CF Montréal, and Vancouver Whitecaps FC will compete in the tournament. The TELUS Canadian Championship takes from place April through October.

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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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