Starting this Thursday, Chicago Fire FC will be participating in the highly anticipated Leagues Cup 2023 tournament.
Comprising 47 teams, three countries, and two leagues, the Leagues Cup is set to be one of the most exciting competitions of the 2023 season. Featuring all 29 MLS teams and Liga MX’s 18, it’ll be a tournament of bragging rights to see who is the best of the best in North America.
So how does Leagues Cup work?
Leagues Cup is a group stage style tournament - with a knockout round similar to the FIFA World Cup.
However, unlike most international competitions, there will be NO draws in group stage play. If the game is tied after regulation, the two sides will participate in a penalty shootout, with the winner being awarded an extra point in the standings. Only a victory in regulation guarantees three points for the winning club.
For defending champions of the respective leagues (LAFC and Pachuca), they will receive an automatic bye to the knockout round as a reward for their strong performances in 2022.
Additionally, the next 15 teams will be seeded from 2-16 in the knockout round, with any remaining teams being unseeded. Once the initial two games are completed - it’s win or go home.
What does it mean for the Fire?
For Chicago, this will be the first time in five years that the Fire have participated in three competitions in a single season.
The last time this occurred was in 2019, when the Fire participated in a prior edition of the Leagues Cup - where they fell to Cruz Azul 2-0 in a quarterfinal en route to claiming the championship.
Prior to Leagues Cup 2019, the Fire had participated in the CONCACAF SuperLiga, a tournament in which the Fire were runners-up in 2009, before the competition's conclusion in 2011.
For Leagues Cup 2023, the Fire are guaranteed two matches in the Central 2 section of the tournament.
The Fire are starting Leagues Cup play on Thursday, July 27 when they head to the Land of 10,000 Lakes and face Western Conference foe Minnesota United FC in their tournament opener. The match is set to take place at Allianz Field at 7:30 p.m. CT.
But the fun doesn’t end there.
Just four days later, the Fire will host Liga MX side Club Puebla in what will be the club’s first official contest against a Mexican side in over a decade. The contest will be hosted at SeatGeek Stadium on Monday, July 31 at 7:30 p.m. CT. Tickets for next Monday’s contest can be found here.
There is a fun tie between these two sides - with both Chicago Fire FC and Club Puebla sharing a star alumnus. DaMarcus Beasley played for both sides. Beasley played with the Fire from 2000-2004, with the American legend making appearances for Puebla from 2011-2014.
Beasley only collected hardware during his tenure with Chicago, capturing two Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup championships in 2000 and 2003, as well as a Supporter’s Shield in 2003.
What’s at stake? What do you get if you win?
Bragging rights are great, but silverware is even better.
The winner of this historic tournament will receive the prestigious continental trophy. For the Fire, it would be their seventh major trophy in franchise history.
On top of winning the first-ever revamped edition of the tournament - the top three participants of Leagues Cup 2023 (Winner, runner-up, third place winner) will receive automatic bids to the CONCACAF Champions Cup (formerly known as the CONCACAF Champions League).
If you win Leagues Cup 2023, not only do you qualify for the Champions Cup, you also automatically qualify into the Round of 16 of the competition.
If the Fire qualify for the Champions Cup - it would be the Club’s first appearance in the competition since 2004, and just the fourth time the Club would participate in CONCACAF’s premier club competition in North America.
How can you watch?
In a historic partnership between the two leagues, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV will be the exclusive home for all Leagues Cup 2023 matches.
All Leagues Cup 2023 matches will be streamed on Apple TV.
You can sign up for MLS Season Pass here.
Chicago Fire FC schedule
July 27, 2023 - Chicago Fire FC at Minnesota United FC at 7:30 p.m. CT at Allianz Field. Watch the match on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV here.
July 31, 2023 - Chicago Fire FC vs. Club Puebla at 7:00 p.m. CT at SeatGeek Stadium. Tickets are available for purchase here.
