Inter Miami's Leagues Cup failure just got a little easier to accept
Club América and Toluca beat Major League Soccer sides in Leagues Cup quarterfinal matches Wednesday, joining Club León and Monterrey in an all-Liga MX final four and guaranteeing a Mexican champion for the first time since León beat the Seattle Sounders 3-2 in 2021.
No Mexican team had reached the Leagues Cup final since organizers expanded the field in 2023. Two Mexican teams have played for the trophy just once: Cruz Azul beat Tigres UNAM 2-1 in 2019, the first year of the competition.
Inter Miami won the 2023 Leagues Cup in a thriller, outlasting Nashville SC 10-9 in a penalty kick shootout after the teams tied 1-1 in regulation. The trophy was the Herons' first major hardware and coincided with the arrival of Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets, who debuted in the tournament. Las Garzas had reached the Leagues Cup knockout phase in each of the past three years -- they lost 3-0 to Seattle in the 2025 final, but Phase One losses to Club León and Monterrey earlier this month ended that streak.
The Leagues Cup ouster, coupled with an embarrassing failure to advance in the 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup tournament, added to what so far has been a disappointing season for the Herons (despite sitting in second place in the Eastern Conference and third in the Supporters' Shield race with 39 points).
Knowing the teams responsible for Miami's elimination are among the final four makes me feel a little better; I hate it when my team loses a playoff round and the team that eliminates them gets destroyed in the next round. I suppose it's not logical, but their loss short of the grand prize feels like it diminishes my team; it's easier to brag that we got beat out by the eventual champion than another also-ran.
Toluca will play León and América will play Monterrey in the semifinals. Game times and locations hadn't been determined as of this writing. The Leagues Cup final is scheduled Sept. 6.
Leagues Cup Champions
2019 — Cruz Azul 2, Tigres UNAM 1
2020 — Canceled, COVID-19
2021 — Club León 3, Seattle Sounders 2
2022 — No champion crowned (matches played as friendlies)
*2023 — Inter Miami 1 (10), Nashville SC 1 (9)
**2024 — Columbus Crew 3, LAFC 1
2025 — Seattle Sounders 3, Inter Miami 0
* Format expanded to include all Liga MX and MLS teams
** Format cntracted to include all Liga MX and 18 playoff teams from previous season's MLS Cup playoffs
