Leagues Cup 2026 opened Tuesday with six Phase One matches, and the first day quickly sorted out the early winners. Columbus Crew, FC Cincinnati, Charlotte FC and FC Juárez all took three points, while Tigres UANL had to settle for the extra point after a penalty shootout.
That matters now because Phase One is the opening stage of a tournament sanctioned by Concacaf, and the results start shaping the race among MLS and Liga MX clubs for the regional title and three berths in the Copa de Campeones Concacaf 2027. With six matches on the schedule for Jornada 1, the first set of results already gives some clubs a clean start and leaves others chasing from behind.
Columbus Crew handled Atlas FC 3-1 at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field in Columbus, Ohio, United States. César Ruvalcaba opened the scoring in the 28th minute, Sean Zawadzki added another in first-half stoppage time at 45+2, and Brais Méndez made it three in the 51st minute. Atlas FC pulled one back in the 67th minute when Sean Zawadzki deflected a cross into his own net.
FC Cincinnati also won 3-1, beating CF Pachuca at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. Adrián Alcaraz struck first for CF Pachuca in the 8th minute, but Evander answered ten minutes later with a long-distance shot that equalized the match. Pavel Bucha put FC Cincinnati ahead in the 39th minute, and Kenji Mboma Dem added the third in the 70th.
Evander’s goal was the kind that changes the feel of a match in one touch. A first-minute lead can settle a crowd; a shot from distance can undo it just as fast, and FC Cincinnati used that moment to turn the game into a straightforward win. Charlotte FC then made its own statement, beating Pumas UNAM 3-0 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. Brandt Bronico scored in the 27th minute, Archie Goodwin followed in the 50th, and Tyger Smalls converted a penalty in the 78th.
FC Juárez closed the list of regulation winners with a 2-1 victory over Minnesota United at Allianz Field in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. Guilherme Castilho scored in the 22nd minute to put FC Juárez in front. The opening-day picture was not completely clean, though. Tigres UANL did not win in regulation, but still left with the additional point after penalties, a reminder that the opening phase rewards more than one kind of result.
What remains less clear is how the other two Phase One matches finished and how those results will shape the next round of standings. For now, the first day has already drawn a sharp line: three MLS clubs and two Liga MX teams earned three points on Jornada 1, and the teams that stumbled will have to recover quickly in a stage with little room to waste matches.
