Breaking down Atlanta United's 2025 Leagues Cup schedule

It’s not just a Supporters’ Shield or an MLS Cup that Atlanta United will be competing for in the 2025 season. Leagues Cup returns for the third year, pitting the 5-Stripes against three Liga MX teams for a chance to make the knockout rounds and possibly add some silverware to the club’s trophy cabinet.

Let’s take a look at Atlanta United’s schedule and what’s in store in the Leagues Cup:

Why those teams?

The format of the Leagues Cup competition is a unique one, and it makes for a dramatic tournament from start to finish. Both MLS and Liga MX send 18 teams each to compete in 2025. The teams are assigned to either the Eastern or Western region, where they then are placed in to sets of three MLS teams and three Liga MX teams based on tiers — those tiers being determined by their points totals from their previous season. Atlanta United will play those three Mexican clubs, one from each tier. Pumas is the Tier 1, Necaxa the 2, and Atlas the 3.

Pumas, the most successful of the three clubs last season, finished with 58 points combined in the Apertura and Clausura phases of the Liga MX season. Necaxa finished with 42 points combined, just two more than the 5-Stripes in last year’s league campaign. Atlas rounds out Atlanta United’s schedule having earned 36 points over both phases of league play last season.

Now how does the competition work?

We now know the opponents, but what happens next? Well, here’s where it gets real fun.

Those three Phase One League Cup matches (think of it like a group stage) will be played under a No Draws format. If two teams are level after 90 minutes, the game will go to penalties. No extra time, just straight shootouts. Here are the point designations for each outcome:

• Regulation draw: One point for both teams
• Penalty shootout win: Two points
• Regulation win: Three points

Based on the point totals after those three games, the four MLS teams and four Liga MX with the highest point totals will move on to the knockout rounds, starting with the quarterfinals. From there, the teams are seeded 1-4 by league, and the first seeds will play the fourth, seconds playing thirds. This ensures that only interleague matches will be played in the competition through at least the quarterfinals.

The knockout rounds will be one leg and will also go straight to penalties if drawing after 90 minutes. Intrigue is built into this competition, and the stakes are higher than they’ve ever been before with 36 teams competing.

What’s the outlook?

Atlanta United has a huge opportunity to make an impression, with two home games behind the ever-energetic 17s at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and another not too far away in Orlando.

The 5-Stripes have never played any of their Leagues Cup opponents in a competitive match, which will present a unique challenge for head coach Ronny Deila and his squad. The tournament also falls in the middle of the MLS regular season, so fitness and squad health will be a massive factor.

Both Atlanta United's Leagues Cup fixtures last season went to penalties, and the club will have at least one more match this time around, hoping for even more in the knockout rounds. With a flurry of new signings and a new head coach at the helm, the possibilities are endless for this Atlanta United side. The Leagues Cup will give them another chance to make history over the course of the 2025 season.