Chicago Fire To Compete in 2026 Leagues Cup
The Chicago Fire will be one of 18 MLS teams competing in the 2026 Leagues Cup. The Leagues Cup organizers announced the tournament’s format and dates. The announcement confirmed the Fire’s participation – and that the tournament will be taking place, despite schedule congestion due to the pause for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
This edition of the tournament will pit 18 MLS clubs – those that made the postseason in 2025 – against the 18 teams from Liga MX and will take place from August 4th through September 6th. The tournament follows the format introduced last year, when the Fire did not participate.
In the current format, the Leagues Cup begins with an initial stage, called Phase One by the tournament organizers, to be played starting August 4th. In this stage, teams will have three matches, all of which will be against teams from the opposite league. As in previous editions of the tournament, there will be no draws: If teams are level after 90 minutes, each team will immediately receive one point, with the teams going to penalty kicks to determine the winner who will receive one additional point. Wins in regulation time count as three points.
However, unlike the groups used in the 2023 and 2024 editions of the tournament, which the Fire did participate in, teams are placed in a table featuring the 17 other clubs from their own league. This separates the competition on the pitch from the competition in the table. At the end of the initial phase, the top four teams from each league advance to Phase Two, a single-elimination knockout competition.
While the new format guarantees matchups against out-of-league opponents through the semifinal rounds, putting 18 teams into a single table where just four advance proved to be a punishing format: The Portland Timbers were eliminated in tournament’s first phase on goal differential, despite finishing with seven points and conceding just one goal (while scoring six) in regulation over the course of three games. A 1-1 draw against Club América on the third matchday, however, proved fatal when the Liga MX giants prevailed 5-3 on penalties after the match.
While the action on the pitch has often been entertaining, the Leagues Cup has proved controversial, with fans – especially die-hards – on both sides of the border using terms like “cash grab” to describe the tournament. In the United States, many fans associate the Leagues Cup with MLS’s decision to reduce participation in the U.S. Open Cup, leading to boycotts from some supporters groups throughout the league.
The tournament has also been marred by the use of an anti-gay chant at a number of matches, including the 2023 matchup between the Chicago Fire and Club América. Anticipating the possibility of the chant, tournament organizers have taken a number of preventative measures. Before each tournament match, announcements, including statements read by each team’s captain, are made over the PA system and accompanied by a message on video boards in English and Spanish.
Tournament organizers have also mandated the use of canned music during goal kicks to try to reduce the effectiveness – or at least the audibility – of the chant. Such measures have often proved ineffective, however, and the anti-gay chant can be heard on a number of broadcasts from the tournament.
For the Chicago Fire, entering in the tournament provides the team with high-level competition against new opponents and significantly bolsters the team’s chances of earning a CONCACAF Champions Cup berth in 2027. Both finalists as well as the third-place team earn berths in the competition, with the tournament champion earning a bye to the round of 16.
The first phase of the tournament will happen between the Fire’s match on August 1st against Charlotte FC and their match August 16th against the Portland Timbers, both of which are slated to take place at Soldier Field. Games for knockout rounds of the tournament will be played midweek, while MLS regular season play resumes.
