MLS, Liga to expand Leagues Cup play
Every Major League Soccer and Liga MX club will pause their seasons in the summer of 2023 to participate in an expanded Leagues Cup as the North American leagues continue to integrate, officials said.
The Leagues Cup will showcase the sport in the region in the years leading up to the 2026 World Cup in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, they said.
“The new Leagues Cup, with every club in MLS and Liga MX competing in an intense monthlong tournament, will establish new standards for what's possible between our two leagues, and further showcase our players and clubs to a global audience,” said MLS commissioner Don Garber. “This is the perfect moment to produce a tournament that will elevate the profile of CONCACAF and showcase the incredible passion our region has for soccer played at the highest level.”
As currently configured, the Leagues Cup sees four teams from MLS and four teams from Mexico's Liga MX play in a single-elimination tournament.
The Leagues Cup final between MLS'S Seattle Sounders and Liga MX'S Club Leon was held Wednesday night at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
In June, MLS'S Garber and Liga MX executive president Mikel Arriola told Reuters they were on a path that could see them ultimately merge into one North American league.
In August, the MLS held its pandemic-delayed all-star game in Los Angeles, playing for the first time against Liga MX'S all-stars.
Supporters will be allowed to
stand in selected English Premier League and Championship grounds from next year as part of a pilot program, the U.K.'S Sports Grounds Safety Authority said Wednesday.
Safe standing will be implemented on a trial basis after Jan. 1. The U.K. government instructed the SGSA to take steps toward creating licensed standing areas at grounds. Standing areas were banned in the top two divisions more than 25 years ago following the 1989 Hillsborough disaster.