What is Leagues Cup? Groups, teams, odds, and how it works as MLS, Liga MX clubs vie for 2023 trophy

The 2023 Leagues Cup will, for the first time, see every club from Major League Soccer and Mexico's Liga MX in a World Cup-style tournament that will crown the best club team from the USA, Canada, and Mexico.

The biggest North American nations have come together to collaborate on this month-long tournament, with both leagues taking an extended break from domestic competition to allow for it.

While the Leagues Cup was held on a much smaller scale in 2019 and 2021 to test the concept, this year's edition boasts a complete field of all clubs from the two North American behemoths.

The 2023 edition of the Leagues Cup has gained significant traction thanks to Lionel Messi's debut for Inter Miami, which is slated to occur on the first day of group stage play on July 21.

Ticket prices for Lionel Messi's debut for Inter Miami are soaring

The Leagues Cup is a brand new annual competition which combines Liga MX and MLS clubs together in a month-long, knockout-style competition.

While the competition was incepted and debuted in 2019, this is the first full-fledged edition of the competition as it was conceived, featuring all 47 clubs from both leagues. The winner will be assigned a qualifying slot into next season's CONCACAF Champions Cup.

The first two editions of the competition in 2019 and 2021 consisted of fewer teams and did not have a tangible competitive reward for the winner. In 2022, the competition was staged in a "showcase" manner, not even crowning a title winner as the competitors simply played a slate of friendlies.

Thus, while this year's edition is not the "inaugural" edition of the Leagues Cup, in essence it feels that way.

Check out the spectacle that was Lionel Messi's unveiling with Inter Miami

The format for the