Chivas de Guadalajara and LAFC open Leagues Cup 2026 against each other on Wednesday night at BMO Stadium, a match that starts the first of three Phase One games for the home side. It is the kind of early meeting that matters immediately in a 36-team tournament, because only four teams from each league will move on from Phase One to the Quarterfinals.
That is why the search for Chivas vs LAFC lands here now. The game is not only the first step in the tournament for both clubs, it also feeds a path to the 2027 Concacaf Champions Cup, where this year's Leagues Cup champion, runner-up and third-place finisher will earn places, with the champion going straight into the Round of 16. If the match is level after full-time, it goes to a penalty shootout and the winner takes an extra point, so even a draw can still shape the table.
LAFC arrive with momentum and a number that explains it. The club is ranked 10th in the Leagues Cup Club Rankings and has not lost since May 17, a run that includes a 3W-0L-1D record in MLS play since the World Cup break. It drew 1-1 with the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday, with Son Heung-Min scoring in the 37th minute and extending his run to four straight matches with a goal. He now leads MLS with 10 assists and has 30 goal contributions, split between 16 goals and 14 assists, in 30 MLS matches since joining from Tottenham Hotspur one year ago this week.
Denis Bouanga set up Son's goal against Vancouver and has 10 goals and seven assists this season, while Hugo Lloris leads MLS with 10 clean sheets in 16 appearances and has allowed the fewest goals among goalkeepers with at least 10 appearances. That gives LAFC a team shape built on end product at one end and control at the other, which is a difficult ask for an opponent trying to steady itself early in a tournament.
Chivas comes in with a far less comfortable picture. It is ranked 21st in the current Leagues Cup Club Rankings and has opened Apertura play at 1W-1L-1D, with a 2-0 loss at home to Toluca, a 1-0 win over FC Juarez at home and a 1-1 draw with Puebla on the road. Just before the World Cup break, it lost 4-3 on aggregate goals to eventual champions Cruz Azul in the semifinals, a reminder that the side can compete with top opponents even when the result does not break its way.
Roberto Alvarado is the figure who gives Chivas a foothold in this match. He has scored both goals for the club this season, and his influence has already been heavy in a Mexico shirt, where he played 428 total minutes at this summer's FIFA World Cup and led all field players for El Tri during the run to the Round of 16. Chivas usually plays in a 3-1-4-2 formation, but how that structure holds up against LAFC's attacking pace is the sharpest unanswered part of the night.
That test matters because the opening match is only the beginning for both clubs. LAFC still has two more Phase One games ahead of it, and every point carries weight in a competition where the margin between advancing and going home is small, the route to the next round is tight, and a slow start can turn one Wednesday night into a problem that lasts for the rest of the tournament.
