With MLS teams beating all the Liga MX teams in the United States on Aug. 20, the Leagues Cup has become an unfair advantage and a cash grab.
Liga MX teams like to play games in the US because it is a bigger payment than playing their games in Mexico.
In 2018, the Campeones Cup was created where both champions from both leagues would face each other.
During that time both MLS and Liga MX decided to create a new tournament called the Leagues Cup. It would matchup teams in both leagues against each other and allow them to face each other more. It was to become a replacement for the Copa Libertadores.
In the early years of the of the tournament, Liga MX clubs took it very seriously, but MLS considered it as interference to their regular season and would send in their young players instead of their stars to play in the games.
ESPN held the television rights to the Leagues Cup until Apple TV made a partnership deal with MLS to acquire the rights to watch games on its streaming service.
The tournament has gone through varying format changes, from the four best teams in MLS going against the four best of Liga MX, to allowing both leagues to play in a world cup style tournament, and whichever finished in the top three would get an automatic spot in the Concacaf Champions Cup.
In 2025, the format was changed again to allow all 18 Liga MX clubs to face the best 18 MLS clubs in a Swiss-style league format, where you would have three games against each other and the best four teams from each league would advance to the quarterfinals.
The tournament has become unfair. There are no games in Mexico, Liga MX supporters have said that it’s time to return to the Copa Libertadores.
The Copa Libertadores is a version of the Champions League in which the best clubs of Conmebol face each other to be the top club in South America.
From 1998 to 2016 Liga MX competed in the Copa Libertadores. The likes of Club America, Chivas Guadalajara, C.F. Monterrey, Toluca and Cruz Azul going against Boca Juniors, River Plate, SC Internacional, Clube Atlético Mineiro, San Paulo, Santos FC and Fluminense FC.
Three Liga MX teams have made it to the final in the Copa Libertadores with Tigres UANL being the last in 2015.
In 2006, C.F Pachuca defeated Colo-Colo to win the Copa Sudamericana, being the only team to win a trophy against Conmebol teams and showing that they can compete.
With two different continents and confederations it would be hard to figure out a schedule plan but the biggest challenge would be travel. In 2013, Club Tijuana and Clube Atético Mineiro had to fly 6,000 miles to compete in the tournament.
With the arrival of Lionel Messi to the United States, Inter Miami CF was invited to the 2024 Copa Libertadores tournament.
Fans in the US and Mexico want to see their teams play at a high level frequently.
The only possible way for this to happen is if Concacaf agrees to send their top clubs to compete in the Copa Libertadores.
It will boost MLS and Liga MX profile and test them in harsh environments if they join.
It would show matchups of top clubs going against each other, like Boca Juniors going to Lumen Field to face the Seattle Sounders FC, Club America facing Palmeiras in the Estadio Azteca, and Inter Miami CF going down to Maracanã to face Flamengo.
