NEW YORK & MEXICO CITY – Leagues Cup has announced all 47 official rosters for the inaugural Leagues Cup 2023. In a new milestone in the history of North American soccer, Leagues Cup is a World-Cup style competition in which all 47 MLS and LIGA MX clubs have now paused their respective league seasons following this last weekend’s play, as attention turns to the start of the official Concacaf competition this Friday, July 21.
The 27-man roster for Vancouver Whitecaps FC features two players from the club's MLS NEXT Pro squad, Whitecaps FC 2 (WFC2). Fullback Mihail Gherasimencov, a product of the Whitecaps FC BMO Academy System, has not yet been called up to the first team, while midfielder Giovanni Aguilar is on the roster after making his MLS debut on July 1 at Sporting Kansas City.
The Leagues Cup Final will be played on August 19. The Leagues Cup 2023 champion and the second and third-place finishers will qualify for the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup.
The Leagues Cup Group Stage kicks off on Friday, July 21 at 5 p.m. PT in South Florida between LIGA MX’s Cruz Azul and Inter Miami CF at DRV PNK Stadium, the first in the highly anticipated series of matchups between the two leagues. Also on opening night, Orlando City SC faces Houston Dynamo at Exploria Stadium (5 p.m. PT), followed by FC Dallas receives Charlotte FC at Toyota Stadium (5:30 p.m. PT), Austin FC battles Mazatlan FC at Q2 Stadium (7 p.m. PT), and Leon takes on Vancouver Whitecaps FC at BC Place (7:30 p.m. PT).
Fans in over 100 countries and regions will be able to watch all 77 Leagues Cup matches on MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app, the subscription service from Apple and Major League Soccer that is available on smart TVs, streaming devices, Apple devices, set-top boxes, game consoles, and the web at tv.apple.com.
In addition, TelevisaUnivision, FOX Sports, TSN and RDS will be the linear broadcast home for 15 group stage matches in the United States and Canada.
Leagues Cup is part of the evolution of the successful partnership between MLS and LIGA MX that launched in 2018. The partnership is rooted in on-field rivalry but connected by a true spirit of collaboration off the field, with a focus on sharing best practices, growing the beautiful game in North America, and being a force for positive change in the communities of both leagues.
ABOUT LEAGUES CUP
Leagues Cup represents a monumental new chapter for North American soccer. Beginning in 2023, Major League Soccer and LIGA MX will pause their seasons each summer and all 47 first division professional soccer clubs in the U.S., Mexico and Canada will compete in a World Cup-style tournament, which will qualify the top three finishers to the Concacaf Champions Cup. An official Concacaf competition, Leagues Cup 2023 will kick off Friday, July 21 and will feature 77 games hosted at stadiums throughout the U.S. and Canada, with the Final taking place on Saturday, August 19. Fans in over 100 countries and regions will be able to watch Leagues Cup on MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app, which is available on Apple devices, smart TVs, streaming devices from Roku, Amazon, and Google, game consoles, and the web at tv.apple.com. In addition, TelevisaUnivision, FOX Sports, TSN and RDS will be the linear broadcast home for select Leagues Cup matches in the United States and Canada.
