Columbus Crew will begin its Leagues Cup title defense hosting LIGA MX side Toluca on July 29, while Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami will begin their pursuit of a second Leagues Cup title against Atlas one day later,

Major League Soccer and Liga MX announced today a significant overhaul to the format of Leagues Cup, the annual competition that pits teams from both leagues against each other.

The 2025 edition of the Leagues Cup tournament will return this summer with an altered format for the group stage and knockouts, along with more guaranteed matches between MLS and Liga MX, the competition announced on Thursday.

The Crew will face three teams from Mexico's Liga MX in the first stage of the 2025 Leagues Cup. Columbus starts the tournament against Toluca FC on July 29. On Aug. 1, the Crew face Club Puebla. They finish the first stage against Club Leon on Aug. 5. All three games will take place at Lower.com Field.

Leagues Cup will have a new format in 2025 with fewer teams and MLS clubs facing each other before the quarterfinals, while Liga MX clubs do the same.

As MLS prepares to kick off its 30th season, how good is the league compared to its peers? We attempt to answer this tricky question.

T oday, the Leagues Cup unveiled the official schedule for the 2025 edition and the perks for the top-ranked clubs from the Liga MX. The third consecutive edition of the Concacaf-