What Leagues Cup does

Leagues Cup is an annual Concacaf-sanctioned soccer tournament founded in 2023 that features 36 clubs — all 18 LIGA MX teams and 18 qualifying MLS clubs — competing in a fully interleague format over August and September. It is owned and operated by Soccer United Marketing, LLC (SUM), the commercial arm of Major League Soccer, headquartered at 420 Fifth Avenue in New York. The competition functions as a cross-border rivalry product spanning the United States, Mexico, and Canada, with the top three finishers earning qualification to the Concacaf Champions Cup and the champion receiving a direct Round of 16 berth.

The core product is the tournament itself (54 Phase One matches plus knockout rounds), supported by a digital platform stack: an Apple TV streaming distribution layer (MLS Season Pass, available in 100+ countries), a centralized ticketing system routing to club partners, the Fanatics-operated merchandise storefront, a Game Hub for match information, and a fan sign-up/CRM system. Recent additions include a Gaming Hub featuring a $1 Million Bracket Challenge presented by Coors Light, a Polymarket prediction market integration, and a refreshed brand identity with trinational visual cues. Underlying technology is non-proprietary — the property is a sports-event organizer that leverages external streaming, e-commerce, and gaming platforms rather than building its own tech stack.

Revenue is generated through three primary streams: broadcasting and streaming rights (Apple TV subscription revenue, plus linear deals with TelevisaUnivision, FOX Sports, TSN, RDS), a broad sponsorship portfolio (core partners include adidas, AT&T, Coors Light, Gillette; minor partners include Sherwin Williams, GEICO, Lowe's, Walmart, Beats, Carnival, and others), and direct ticket sales at venues across the three host countries. Pricing for broadcast access is managed by Apple via MLS Season Pass subscriptions; ticket pricing varies by match and venue. The organization is private with 11–50 employees and no disclosed external funding or M&A activity.

Name

Leagues Cup

Legal name

Soccer United Marketing, LLC

Website

https://leaguescup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Leagues Cup is an annual Concacaf-sanctioned soccer tournament organized by Soccer United Marketing featuring 36 MLS and LIGA MX clubs competing in an interleague format for Concacaf Champions Cup qualification spots across the US, Mexico, and Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Soccer Tournament

NAICS

Spectator Sports (71121)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Association Football (Soccer) Leagues (MPAKAAAA)

Keywords

• Professional soccer tournament
• International soccer competition
• Sports event broadcasting
• Soccer sponsorship rights
• Club soccer championship

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Broadcasting Rights: Leagues Cup matches are broadcast via Apple TV (primary streaming partner) and select matches on TelevisaUnivision, FOX Sports, TSN, and RDS. MLS Season Pass subscriptions on Apple TV generate revenue from viewers.
2. Ticket Sales: Direct ticket sales to fans attending matches at venues across the US, Mexico, and Canada. Season ticket holders receive information from their clubs.
3. Sponsorship: Multiple official partners including adidas, AT&T, Coors Light, Gillette, Sherwin Williams, GEICO, Lowe's, and others pay for official partner designations and marketing rights.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Leagues Cup is an annual Concacaf-sanctioned soccer tournament featuring 36 clubs from Major League Soccer (18) and LIGA MX (18) competing in a fully interleague format during August and September. The competition awards qualification spots for the Concacaf Champions Cup, generates revenue from broadcast rights (Apple TV), sponsorship deals, and ticket sales, and reaches fans in more than 100 countries.

Product overview

Leagues Cup is a soccer tournament product featuring an annual Concacaf-sanctioned competition between Major League Soccer and LIGA MX. The core offering is the Leagues Cup Tournament itself, a 36-club interleague competition running August through September. Supporting the tournament are multiple digital products and services: streaming via Apple TV as the primary platform for fans in 100+ countries; the Gaming Hub with a $1 Million Bracket Challenge for fan engagement; Polymarket prediction markets integration for real-time collective sentiment around matches; a centralized ticketing platform; and the Fanatics-operated merchandise store. The platform also includes a Game Hub for match information, social channels (Instagram, Twitter/X, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, WhatsApp), and a user registration system for fan communications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Leagues Cup Tournament Annual Concacaf-sanctioned soccer competition between 18 MLS clubs and 18 LIGA MX clubs, played in a fully interleague format from August through September, awarding Concacaf Champions Cup qualification to top finishers.
• Gaming Hub with $1 Million Bracket Challenge Presented by Coors Light Interactive digital gaming platform integrated into the Leagues Cup tournament experience, featuring the $1 Million Bracket Challenge presented by Coors Light as a fan-engagement prediction competition.
• Leagues Cup Ticketing Platform Centralized ticket purchasing platform redirecting users to MLS member clubs' ticketing partner websites for attending Leagues Cup matches at venues across the US, Mexico, and Canada.
• Leagues Cup Store (Fanatics) Official merchandise e-commerce store operated by Fanatics, offering official Leagues Cup branded merchandise and apparel to fans globally.

Quantifiable outcome

• 69,000 fans attended the 2025 Leagues Cup Final in Seattle, setting record attendance

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• adidascoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial Match Ball Provider of Leagues Cup and Official Partner. adidas supplies official match balls and related equipment for the tournament.
• AT&TcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial and Exclusive Wireless and Wireline Provider of Leagues Cup. Official and exclusive 5G Partner of Leagues Cup.
• Coors Light & Topo ChicocoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial Beer of Leagues Cup. Official Hard Seltzer of Leagues Cup (Topo Chico Hard Seltzer). Presenting sponsor of Gaming Hub and Bracket Challenge.
• PolymarketcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial and Exclusive Prediction Market Partner of MLS, MLS All-Star Game, MLS Cup presented by Audi, and Leagues Cup. Multi-year partnership to develop new fan experiences across digital platforms focusing on live match and second-screen engagement.
• Beats by DreminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial Sponsor of Leagues Cup.
• GilletteminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial Partner of Leagues Cup.
• Sherwin WilliamsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial Paint Partner of Leagues Cup. Official Paint Store Supplier of Leagues Cup.
• StraussminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial Work Wear Partner of Leagues Cup.
• GEICOminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial Home and Auto Insurance Partner of Leagues Cup.
• Ocean SprayminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial Juice of Leagues Cup. Official Cranberry Sauce of Leagues Cup.
• Lowe'sminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial Home Improvement Retailer of Leagues Cup.
• Gran Centenario TequilaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial Tequila of Leagues Cup.
• CarnivalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial Cruise Line and Official Sponsor/Partner of Leagues Cup.
• WalmartminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial Partner/Sponsor of Leagues Cup.
• CalienteminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial Partner of Leagues Cup in Mexico. Official Sports betting house of Leagues Cup in Mexico.
• Apple TVcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrimary streaming platform for all Leagues Cup matches. MLS Season Pass on Apple TV provides access to live matches. Available across all Apple devices, smart TVs, streaming devices, set-top boxes, game consoles, and web at tv.apple.com.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Indian Premier League (Cricket): While a different sport, the IPL is the global benchmark for a compressed-window, franchise-style, sponsorship-and-broadcast-heavy sports property — directly relevant as a structural and commercial analogue for short-window tournament economics.

Broad incumbents

• Concacaf Gold Cup: CONCACAF's flagship national-team competition across the same three countries Leagues Cup serves. Comparable as a regional confederation-run summer football property with cross-border US-Mexico-Canada appeal.
• AFC Champions League Elite: The Asian Football Confederation's top-tier club competition. Comparable as an incumbent regional multi-league club tournament with similar broadcast-and-sponsorship driven economics, though serving Asia rather than North America.
• CONMEBOL Sudamericana: South America's second-tier continental club competition. Comparable as a regional club knockout property running in parallel with the Libertadores.

Direct peers

• CONCACAF Champions Cup: The Confederation's club championship for North America, Central America, and the Caribbean — and the competition Leagues Cup's top finishers qualify for. Directly comparable regional club tournament operator.
• UEFA Champions League: The preeminent European club football competition, aggregating top clubs from multiple domestic leagues in a knockout-style tournament. Directly comparable model to Leagues Cup as a multi-league interleague competition monetized through broadcast rights and sponsorships.
• UEFA Europa League: UEFA's second-tier European club competition, comparable as a multi-country interleague tournament operating alongside the Champions League with similar broadcast, sponsorship, and ticketing mechanics.
• Copa Libertadores: South America's premier continental club football competition, run by CONMEBOL. Closely analogous in format — top clubs from across a region's domestic leagues competing annually for a regional crown.
• FIFA Club World Cup: FIFA's newly expanded 32-team global club football competition held in summer. Competes with Leagues Cup for the same player, sponsorship, and global broadcast inventory in the same calendar window.
• Carabao Cup (EFL Cup): England's premier knockout cup competition bringing together clubs across multiple divisions. Comparable as a branded cup-style property with sponsorship-led monetization, though anchored to a single domestic league.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/LeaguesCup
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCcH10bZQXIfq3B1XzqPzNbQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/LeaguesCup
• Instagraminstagram.com/leaguescup
• TikToktiktok.com/@LeaguesCup

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Leagues Cup