If you take a quick gander at the summer calendar for FIFA next year, it is…packed.

On top of the regular soccer within the leagues across the world, on our side of the pond there are big events like the Concacaf Gold Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup.

Cramming in another club competition might be a big overkill, but the fine folks that run Major League Soccer and Liga MX plan to give it a try with next year’s Leagues Cup. But there will be a bit of a catch.

Leagues Cup will return in 2025 with some slight modifications, according to ESPN’s Lizzy Becherano. Instead of all 30 MLS teams participating, Becherano reports 2025’s edition of Leagues Cup will feature just 18 teams from MLS going head-to-head against the 18 teams from Liga MX.

As of this writing, format for 2025’s edition of Leagues Cup and which MLS teams will represent the league next summer remains undetermined.

FC Dallas has a bit of a mixed history in the two larger Leagues Cup editions (we won’t count the ones that debuted in and around the COVID era).

In 2023, FC Dallas never lost a game in regulation, but did end up crashing out after their fourth game in the tournament in a wild 4-4 draw against Lionel Messi and Inter Miami. The Herons ended up winning that shootout to advance and later win that edition of the tournament.

The 2024 run for FC Dallas was over before it really began. A loss in St. Louis on the road, followed up by a loss at home against Liga MX side Juarez presented FC Dallas with a long three week break before MLS play resumed in late August.

Quick BDS Take

Honestly, 18 MLS clubs against 18 Liga MX sides makes a tad more sense. Not to mention with the potential to move the games to the midweek, a la the US Open Cup, we could see a situation where those who don’t participate in the Leagues Cup are in the US Open Cup next year. That is just my hunch.

I don’t think FC Dallas fans will be too heartbroken if the club ends up not participating in next year’s tournament, but it does feel weird to see the tournament get yet another change to its format.

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