GUIDE: How to Watch the Leagues Cup on TV, Streaming and more
In the unfortunate few weeks sandwiched between the end of this summer’s international tournaments and the start of the European club season, the Leagues Cup offers football fans a fantastic new avenue through which they can keep watching competitive clubs play deep into the summer months. The best clubs that North America has to offer will be on display in a whirlwind competition, something of a preview for the CONCACAF Champions Cup, and a unique way to keep tabs on the ever-changing landscape of football on the continent.
How to Watch the 2024 Leagues Cup
The only way to catch each one of the 77 matches in this year's tournament will be by purchasing the MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV App. Right now, there is a 50% discount on subscriptions which are now running at $14.99/month or $49/season without an Apple TV+ subscription. With a prior Apple TV+ subscription, it is $12.99/month or $39/season. When purchased, all matches will be viewable on any mobile/smart device with the Apple TV or Apple TV+ app available. Once you purchase a season pass through the account logged into the Apple TV or Apple TV+ app, you will be ready to catch all the action in the 2024 Leagues Cup.
Select matches will be available on certain cable TV channels, including Fox Sports 1 and TelevisaUnivision in the US, or TSN and RDS in Canada.
These can be accessed through a cable TV subscription, or via subscriptions to streaming platforms such as Youtube TV, Sling TV, or FuboTV.
YoutubeTV currently has an offer running for plans to start at $64.99/month for the first 4 months, then $72.99/month thereafter.
SlingTV’s blue plan offers FS1 at $20 for your first month then $45/month going forward.
Watch the 2024 Leagues Cup for Free
FuboTV has plans as low as $79.99/month, all of which offer a FREE week-long trial that can be used if there is any particular game on FS1 or TelevisaUnivision that you are dying to catch.
Tournament Overview
The League Cup will have the same number of teams as it did in 2023, with all of the same means of qualification. 47 teams will participate across 31 venues in the US and Canada. 26 of the teams are from the US, 18 are from Mexico, and 3 are from Canada. They have been divided into 15 groups of 3, with 7 groups in the east and 8 in the west geographical zones. The top-seeded teams from both the US and Mexico, Columbus Crew and Club América respectively, have a bye to the round of 32.
As there are no games to be played in Mexico, this year, the top 4 seeded Liga MX clubs will have “hub rights” which designates them as the home team at specific stadiums.
They are as follows:
- Club América (Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego)
- Monterrey (Q2 Stadium, Austin)
- Chivas Guadalajara (Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara)
- Tigres UANL (Shell Energy Stadium, Houston)
Games are not allowed to end in a draw during the group stages, which means if a game is tied at the end of 90 minutes, the two teams will go directly to penalties. This provides for a very fascinating dynamic in the groups, as it pertains to the distribution of points. Teams will earn 3 points for a win and 0 for a loss in normal time, though will only receive 2 for a game won via penalty shootout, while the losing team on penalty kicks will earn 1.
If the scores are level at the end of the 90 in the knockout stages, the game will similarly go directly to penalty kicks. Following the round of 32, round of 16, and quarterfinals, the losers of each semi-final will partake in a third-place play-off game. The winner of this match, alongside both finalists, will earn automatic qualification for the following season’s CONCACAF Champions Cup, with the winner of the Leagues Cup receiving a bye to the round of 16.
Group Stage & Schedule
The groups for this tournament were drawn from 3 pots in late January of 2024. The pots were based on rankings determined by MLS teams’ performances in the 2023 Supporters Shield, while for the Liga MX teams, theirs was determined by their last 34 games across both the Apertura and Clausura.
As previously mentioned, the top-ranked team from both the Liga MX and MLS received a bye to the round of 32, with Club América and Columbus Crew skipping the group stage.
Undoubtedly, one of the games to look out for coming into this tournament is the clash between Tigres and Inter Miami. A face-off between Lionel Messi, who was the tournament’s top scorer and best player in 2023, up against André-Pierre Gignac, who has had an incredible career with Tigres and even brought them continental glory in 2020 by lifting the CONCACAF Champions League Trophy as the top scorer and best player.
Unfortunately, the injury suffered by Lionel Messi in the final of this year's Copa América will see him miss around a month of action, likely keeping him on the sidelines for the group stage of the Leagues Cup. Either way, it will be an entertaining clash given the talent on both sides.
Keep an eye out for the West 7 group including LAFC, Vancouver Whitecaps, and Club Tijuana. Vancouver has been inconsistent this season and will be looking to avenge their 3-0 loss against the leaders of the Western Conference back in May. Meanwhile, LAFC’s match against Tijuana will bring an incredible atmosphere given their geographic proximity, and the fact that the love for los Xolos runs deep in LA.
West 2 has some interesting matchups, with Chivas Guadalajara headed to Carson, the old home of Chivas USA to face off against the Galaxy in another game set for a daunting atmosphere, where Mexican icon Javier Chicharito Hernández will play for his boyhood club against his former employer. From a storied veteran to a promising young star, Cade Cowell will have his homecoming against the San Jose Earthquakes following a controversial move to Guadalajara. If he keeps up his current form, he may leave a bitter taste in the mouth of his first professional club.
Key Dates
The MLS will stop play on July 20th, while the Liga MX will grind to a halt on July 21st to allow their players time for adequate rest and preparation.
The 2024 Leagues Cup will run from July 26th to August 25th, with the opening games involving strictly MLS clubs. Atlanta United vs DC United along with Orlando City vs Montréal will kickoff at 8pm EST on July 26th.
The group stage will end on August 6th, with another all-MLS clash in New England vs Nashville. The knockout stages will kick off with the round of 32 from August 7th-9th, followed by the round of 16 from August 12th-13th. The quarter-finals will take place between August 16th-17th, and the semis on August 20th/21st (TBD). The all-important match for third place and the final will take place on August 25th.
Author: Venuse, Inc.