How to watch the 2026 Leagues Cup live without cable (even for free)

The 2026 World Cup is over, but that doesn't mean soccer has fallen off the world stage. The sixth annual Leagues Cup, which pits Mexico's Liga MX against Major League Soccer, starts this August.

What began in 2019 as a competition for just four teams will now feature 36 clubs and will have 54 matchups in Phase One alone. The competition's top three clubs will qualify for the 2027 Concacaf Champions Cup, and the champion goes right to the Round of 16. If you're still chasing the high of the World Cup, here's everything you need to know about the Leagues Cup, how to stream it without cable, and how to watch some games for free.

Where Can You Stream the 2026 Leagues Cup?

The World Cup aired on Fox and several free livestreams across the globe. Watching the Leagues Cup is even simpler because every match will be on Apple TV. Fans from over 100 countries will be able to watch live on Apple's video streamer. In addition to Apple TV, select matches will also be broadcast on TelevisaUnivision, FOX Sports, TSN, and RDS.

The good news for soccer fans is that it's even cheaper to watch the Leagues Cup than it was last year. Previously, you needed the MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, which essentially doubled the price of the service. However, Apple has since discontinued this add-on and now includes it with the service's base price. That means it costs just $12.99 per month to get every game. You can also pay $19.95 per month for the Apple One bundle, which gives you access to Apple Music, Apple TV, Apple Arcade, and expanded iCloud+ storage.

Some matches will have linear coverage across networks. FOX Sports will air 14 Leagues Cup matches on FS1, and TelevisaUnivision will air 16 matches on its broadcast networks. If you live in Canada, TSN will air 14 matches, and RDS will broadcast seven matches in French.

How to Watch the 2026 Leagues Cup for Free

Unfortunately, your options are limited if you want to watch the Leagues Cup for free. Apple TV offers a 7-day free trial for new subscribers. You can also get three months free when you purchase an Apple device and redeem the offer within 90 days. If you were already looking to buy a new phone or laptop (or if you recently did), it might be a worthwhile deal.

You may also be able to watch select games airing on Fox for free with a free video-streaming subscription trial from DirecTV, FuboTV, or YouTube TV.

Can You Watch the Leagues Cup With a VPN?

Unlike the World Cup, which offered several free streams across the world, it won't be as easy to use a virtual private network (VPN) to watch the Leagues Cup. But you may be able to access local broadcasts in Canada and Mexico using a VPN. To try, you'll need to select a VPN that offers servers in other countries, like ExpressVPN, PCMag's top pick for location spoofing. However, ExpressVPN costs the same as an Apple TV subscription: $12.99 per month, though it does also offer a free trial.

Which Teams Are Playing in the 2026 Leagues Cup?

There will be 36 clubs competing in the tournament—all 18 Liga MX teams and 18 qualified MLS clubs. This includes the defending Leagues Cup champion Seattle Sounders, the 2025 MLS Cup Champion Inter Miami, top Liga MX champion Club Toluca, as well as 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup winner Cruz Azul and runner-up Vancouver Whitecaps.

All teams are evenly distributed between Eastern and Western regions. From there, each region is sorted into three tiers. Right now, the Phase One regional groupings for the Leagues Cup are as follows:

• Eastern 1: FC Cincinnati, Club Pachuca, Charlotte FC, Pumas, Columbus Crew, Atlas FC
• Eastern 2: Inter Miami CF, CF Monterrey, Nashville SC, Club León, Orlando City SC, Atlético de San Luis
• Eastern 3: Cruz Azul, Philadelphia Union, New York City FC, Club Necaxa, Chicago Fire FC, Club Santos Laguna
• Western 1: Club Tigres, Vancouver Whitecaps FC, Minnesota United FC, FC Juárez, Real Salt Lake, Atlante FC
• Western 2: Toluca FC, Los Angeles FC, Seattle Sounders, Chivas de Guadalajara, FC Dallas, Club Querétaro
• Western 3: Club América, San Diego FC, Austin FC, Club Tijuana, Portland Timbers, Club Puebla

The 2026 Leagues Cup Schedule

The Leagues Cup tournament runs from August 4 through September 6. Phase One of the competition will include 54 interleague matchups over nine days, ending on August 13. You can view the full calendar here, but some highlights include:

• August 4 @ 7:30 p.m. ET: Cincinnati (6) vs. Pachuca (20) – TQL Stadium
• August 4 @ 10 p.m. ET: Tigres (2) vs. Salt Lake (30) – American First Field
• August 5 @ 10 p.m. ET: Toluca (1) vs. Seattle (15) – Estadio Nemesio Diez
• August 5 @ 10:30 p.m. ET: LAFC vs. Chivas de Guadalajara – BMO Stadium
• August 6 @ 8 p.m. ET: Cruz Azul (4) vs. Philadelphia (5) – Subaru Park
• August 6 @ 10 p.m. ET: América (3) vs. San Diego (8) – Estadio Banorte
• August 7 @ 9 p.m. ET: Tigres (2) vs. Minnesota (13) – Allianz Field
• August 7 @ 8 p.m. ET: Cincinnati (6) vs. Pumas (29) – TQL Stadium
• August 8 @ 8 p.m. ET: Miami (7) vs. Monterrey (11) – Nu Stadium
• August 8 @ 11:10 p.m. ET: Toluca (1) vs. LAFC (10) – BMO Stadium
• August 9 @ 7:30 p.m. ET: Cruz Azul (4) vs. New York City (14) – Sports Illustrated Stadium
• August 9 @ 10:15 p.m. ET: América (3) vs. Portland (26) – Providence Park
• August 11 @ 8 p.m. ET: Cincinnati (6) vs. Atlas (30) – TQL Stadium
• August 11 @ 10 p.m. ET: Tigres (2) vs. Vancouver (9) – Estadio Universitario
• August 12 @ 7:30 p.m. ET: Miami (7) vs. León (28) – Nu Stadium
• August 12 @ 10 p.m. ET: Toluca (1) vs. Dallas (25) – Estadio Nemesio Diez
• August 13 @ 8:30 p.m. ET: América (3) vs. Austin (24) – Q2 Stadium
• August 13 @ 9:30 p.m. ET: Cruz Azul (4) vs. Chicago (18) – SeatGeek Stadium

After that, the top four clubs from each league will advance to the knockout rounds. The quarterfinals are scheduled for August 25-27, and the semifinals will take place September 1-2. The last day of the tournament is September 6, which will have both the third-place match and the final.

Upgrade Your Streaming Experience

If you decide to watch the Leagues Cup competition, there's still time to get a big-screen television for viewing this beautiful game. Pro tip: turn on your TV's motion-smoothing option for the best picture while watching sports. Just remember to turn it off before watching other TV shows and movies to avoid the awful "soap opera" effect.