ESPN Grabs Streaming, Television Rights of MLS/Liga MX Leagues Cup

ESPN will be the U.S. English-language home for the Leagues Cup – a new international club competition pitting four Major League Soccer teams against four teams from Mexico’s Liga MX. The seven-match tournament will begin with quarterfinals Tuesday, July 23 – Wednesday, July 24, and conclude with the Final on Wednesday, Sept. 18.

ESPN+ will exclusively stream three quarterfinal matches and ESPN will televise one match in the quarterfinal round. ESPN2 will televise the two semifinal matches on Wednesday, Aug. 20, and the Final on September 18. All matches on television will stream live on the ESPN App.

The Leagues Cup extends the soccer rivalry between the North American leagues – Liga MX in Mexico and MLS in the United States of America and Canada. The inaugural tournament will kick off with four matchups between championship teams from Liga MX and Major League Soccer. Club America, Cruz Azul, Tigres UANL and Club Tijuana will represent Liga MX, while Chicago Fire, Houston Dynamo, LA Galaxy and Real Salt Lake will represent MLS.

The new tournament is sanctioned by the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) – the region’s governing body for soccer and one of FIFA’s six football confederations.

MLS:

• Chicago Fire: It is the only MLS club to win the double – MLS Cup and U.S. Open Cup – in its inaugural season in the league.
• LA Galaxy: With five MLS Cup titles, two Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cups and one CONCACAF Champions League title, LA Galaxy is Major League Soccer’s most-decorated team.
• Houston Dynamo: Back-to-back MLS Cup champions in 2006 and 2007, the Houston-based club is the reigning Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in 2018.
• Real Salt Lake: After making its debut in Major League Soccer in 2005, Real Salt Lake won the MLS Cup in 2009.

LIGA MX:

• Cruz Azul: Based in the southern part of Mexico City, Cruz Azul is one of the most successful clubs in the country having won eight first division championships and six CONCACAF Champions League titles.
• Club Tijuana: Based in Tijuana, the Xolos won the Liga MX Apertura 2012 title.
• Club America: One of the most-popular soccer clubs in the Americas, the Mexico City-based club has won 13 Mexican first division soccer titles, as well as seven CONCACAF Champions League titles.
• Tigres UANL: Led by former French National Team Andre-Pierre Gignac, Tigres has won the Mexican first division soccer league title seven times, including the Liga MX Clausura 2019.

The schedule is as follows:

Tue, Jul 23
Chicago Fire vs. Cruz Azul (8:30 p.m.) / ESPN+

11:00 p.m.
LA Galaxy vs. Club Tijuana (11:00 p.m) / ESPN

Wed, Jul 24
Houston Dynamo vs. Club America (8:30 p.m) / ESPN+

Real Salt Lake vs. Tigres UANL (10:30 p.m.) / ESPN+

Tue, Aug 20
Semifinal I (8:30 p.m.) / ESPN2

Semifinal II (10:30 p.m.) / ESPN2

Wed, Sep 18
Final (10:30 p.m.) / ESPN2