Inter Miami's Path to Leagues Cup Glory: What It Takes to Reach the Knockout Rounds

The summer of 2025 has brought fresh soccer experiences to the United States, with FIFA's restructured Club World Cup followed by a modified Leagues Cup format.

Though the tournament is relatively young, having debuted in 2019, it has already seen significant changes. The 2025 version adopts UEFA's approach, implementing a Swiss system for the opening phase.

Lionel Messi made his mark in American soccer by leading Inter Miami to Leagues Cup triumph two years ago, and the Argentine star, following a strong Club World Cup performance, hopes to guide the Herons—recently strengthened by Rodrigo De Paul's transfer from Atlético Madrid—on another deep tournament run.

With two match rounds completed and one remaining, Miami's perfect start keeps them in contention to advance to the knockout phase alongside seven other MLS and Liga MX clubs.

Here's what Inter Miami needs to secure their spot in the 2025 Leagues Cup quarterfinals.

Inter Miami's Leagues Cup Performance Thus Far

The cross-league opening phase pits all participating MLS clubs against Liga MX opponents, with teams from both leagues placed in separate divisions. The leading four from each division advance to the quarterfinal round.

Inter Miami has begun another thrilling campaign, mirroring their 2023 run, with both matches decided in dramatic fashion at the final whistle.

Their opening day triumph over Atlas came through Marcelo Weigandt's stoppage-time winner, while they defeated Necaxa via penalty kicks despite losing Lionel Messi to injury within ten minutes and playing most of the match a man down.

With no draws permitted in this year's format, the match proceeded to penalties, where Miami prevailed 5–4 to claim two points.

The Herons currently sit third in the MLS Phase One table with five points. Pumas UNAM, a mid-table Liga MX side over recent decades, awaits as their final group opponent, with uncertainty surrounding Messi's availability. The Argentine superstar has sustained only a "minor" muscle problem and should return if Miami progresses, but the Pumas fixture may come too early.

Inter Miami's Path to Leagues Cup Knockout Qualification

Just three MLS sides have been eliminated entering the final fixture round, though Inter Miami could theoretically be overtaken by 11 teams competing for the four available spots.

Should the Herons fall to Pumas UNAM or lose on penalties (earning one point), their advancement chances become extremely slim. Minnesota United, LA Galaxy, Columbus Crew, Orlando City, FC Cincinnati and New York Red Bulls trail Miami by just one point and would likely need only a penalty victory (or regulation win) to surpass Javier Mascherano's squad.

Colorado Rapids, New York City FC, Real Salt Lake and Los Angeles FC all possess three points and would match Miami's total if the Herons lose while they secure penalty shootout victories in Matchday 3. CF Montréal could equal Miami's five-point tally with a victory over Puebla, but would likely miss the top four given that 13 teams currently rank above them.

A victory against Pumas ensures Miami's quarterfinal berth, and a penalty shootout win might also suffice. In that scenario, they'd finish with seven points and could only be matched by Minnesota United, LA Galaxy, Columbus Crew, Orlando City, FC Cincinnati and the New York Red Bulls. However, these six clubs must secure regulation victories worth three points.

Any team reaching seven points would have identical regulation wins, the primary tiebreaker, so standings would then depend on goal differential. Inter Miami (+1) faces a challenging position in this regard, as all four-point teams either match or exceed their goal difference.

The Herons might overtake Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers with a penalty victory, but both current MLS Phase One leaders would need to lose on Matchday 3. The Sounders face Tijuana at home, while Portland confronts a challenging match against América.

Simply put, Miami's modest goal difference means that, most likely, only a regulation-time victory will guarantee knockout stage progression. Otherwise, they'll require numerous (perhaps too many) favorable results from their Mexican counterparts.