San Diego FC is halfway through their inaugural season and at the top of the Western Conference standings. As the Club continues to secure their spot for playoffs, SDFC is also preparing for their first appearance in Leagues Cup 2025.
What is Leagues Cup 2025?
The tournament will feature 36 Clubs in total, including all 18 LIGA MX teams and 18 qualifying MLS teams. The top nine teams in each MLS Conference, the Eastern and Western Conference, who participated in the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs from the prior season will qualify. SDFC will debut in this tournament, taking the Vancouver Whitecaps FC place.
This year, Leagues Cup 2025 will be played in two rounds: Phase One and the Knockout Rounds. Phase one kicks off July 29, featuring three consecutive match dates per Club. The Leagues Cup Final will take place August 31. The official tournament is sanctioned by Concacaf, meaning that the top three teams will receive automatic bids into the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup with an opportunity for the winner to represent the Confederation at the FIFA Club World Cup.
Learn more about the format below:
This tournament is an exciting opportunity for SDFC to face teams from LIGA MX that the Club hasn’t played against before. Kicking off the tournament July 29, San Diego will face Hirving “Chucky” Lozano’s childhood Club, C.F. Pachuca at Snapdragon Stadium. On August 1, SDFC will face Tigres UANL, a top LIGA MX team, for some Friday night football. The Club wraps up the first phase on August 5 when SDFC hosts Mazatlán F.C., one of the newest LIGA MX Clubs.
How will teams advance to the Knockout Rounds?
For SDFC to advance, the Club must be in the top four Clubs from the MLS. The tables were designed to ensure more interleague matches into the Knockout Rounds. The Quarterfinal pairings will be decided based on Leagues Cup Phase One performance.
The four advancing Clubs will compete in the two Semifinal matches, as determined by the bracket. The two Clubs that get knocked out in the Quarterfinals will compete in a Third Place Match, while the two Clubs who win will advance to the Leagues Cup Final on Sunday, August 31. The Leagues Cup 2025 Third Place match and Final will determine the three Clubs that qualify for the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup.
Don’t miss out on being a part of SDFC’s historical debut in Leagues Cup 2025 and buy your tickets today to be a part of Phase One! Can’t make a match? Don’t worry, fans can tune in on MLS Season Pass on AppleTV.
