Additionally, Inter Miami CF II will participate in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup
Major League Soccer (MLS) announced today the criteria to qualify for the official North American cup competitions during the 2025 and 2026 seasons, confirming Inter Miami CF’s participation in the 2025 Leagues Cup and the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup. The 2025 campaign will see the Club compete in Concacaf’s most prestigious club competition for a second consecutive edition and in the Leagues Cup for a third year in a row, in addition to the Club’s highly anticipated participation in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.
Additionally, U.S. Soccer announced today that Inter Miami CF II, the Club’s MLS NEXT Pro affiliate, will be competing in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in 2025.
Tickets
Leagues Cup: Fans interested in securing tickets to watch Inter Miami CF in action in the Leagues Cup in 2025 can sign up HERE to receive additional information. 2025 Season Ticket Members will receive exclusive access to Leagues Cup tickets. More information will be shared with members in the coming weeks.
Concacaf Champions Cup: Tickets for the Club’s Round One fixtures against Sporting Kansas City are available. Secure your tickets for the thrilling second leg at Chase Stadium on Tuesday, Feb. 25 HERE.
MLS Announces Qualification Criteria for North American Cup Competitions
The framework for MLS club participation in North American cup competitions rewards club performance, manages player workload, and ensures that every MLS club has the opportunity to compete in at least one, but no more than two, North American competitions that run concurrently with the MLS league season.
This qualification structure will be in place for the 2025 and 2026 MLS seasons, providing a guideline for MLS’ qualification parameters during this exceptional moment -- as the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 and FIFA World Cup 2026 are played in North America. This process will be re-evaluated for 2027 as the landscape of competitions continues to evolve. The qualification for each competition were determined as follows:
Champions Cup: Criteria set by Concacaf.
Leagues Cup: Eighteen total MLS clubs qualify to match the 18 participating LIGA MX clubs. The top nine teams in each MLS Conference from the prior season qualify.
Modification for 2025
Due to the Vancouver Whitecaps FC’s participation in the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup and defending their Canadian Championship title, Vancouver will not participate in Leagues Cup 2025. Instead, expansion club San Diego FC will join the Leagues Cup 2025 tournament. The adjustment allows for all 30 MLS teams to compete in at least one, but not more than two, North American cup competitions.
Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup: Aligned with the 2025 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup format, the number of MLS first teams participating in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup has increased from 8 to 16. In addition, 10 MLS NEXT Pro teams will compete in the tournament.
The 16 participating MLS teams are determined as follows:
- Only U.S.-based clubs are eligible to participate in the U.S. Open Cup.
- MLS teams not competing in either Leagues Cup or Concacaf Champions Cup automatically qualify for the U.S. Open Cup. For the 2025 tournament, this accounts for nine of the 16 MLS teams.
- The remaining teams are determined by Supporters’ Shield standings, excluding teams competing in Concacaf Champions Cup. For the 2025 tournament, this accounts for seven of the 16 MLS teams.
Canadian Championship: All three Canadian-based MLS clubs compete.
Inter Miami CF in Leagues Cup
The Leagues Cup 2025 between LIGA MX and Major League Soccer will be played from July 29 to Aug. 31. Similar to global cup competitions, Leagues Cup will take place during the MLS and LIGA MX regular seasons this upcoming summer, offering fans exciting, international matches. The Leagues Cup will be played in the United States and Canada in 2025.
The format, schedule and additional information on the 2025 Leagues Cup will be announced at a later time.
Inter Miami CF in Concacaf Champions Cup
In 2025, the Club will compete in the region’s most prestigious club competition featuring the best teams from North America, Central America and the Caribbean for a second time, with the 60th edition of the Concacaf Champions Cup to take place from to be played between February and June 2025. Inter Miami is set to face Sporting Kansas City in Round One of the 2025 Champions Cup. The first leg will be played on Tuesday, Feb. 18 at 8 p.m. ET at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, while the return fixture is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 25, at 8 p.m. ET at Chase Stadium. The winner of the series will advance to the Round of 16.
The Concacaf Champions Cup will continue to be played in a five-round direct elimination knockout stage format. The first four rounds—Round One, Round of 16, Quarterfinals, and Semifinals—all include home and away play, while the Final is played as a single-leg match.
