New York City FC vs Santos Laguna and Charlotte FC Matches Preview

The Leagues Cup tournament begins its first matchday on August 3, 2026, featuring a series of matchups between Major League Soccer (MLS) clubs and Liga MX teams. New York City FC is scheduled to face Santos Laguna at 17:30 hours, with the broadcast hosted on Apple TV, according to the tournament schedule.

The opening round of the competition serves as the first opportunity for participating teams to secure points in the group stage. Along with New York City FC and Santos Laguna, the schedule includes a fixture between Cruz Azul and Charlotte FC.

The Leagues Cup is a collaborative tournament that pauses the regular seasons of both MLS and Liga MX to pit the two leagues against one another in a single-elimination and group-stage format. All matches in the competition are streamed exclusively through the Apple TV app via the MLS Season Pass subscription.

For the match between New York City FC and Santos Laguna, the 17:30 start time marks one of the primary fixtures for the day’s broadcast window. Teams in the opening jornada are competing for the initial points necessary to advance toward the knockout rounds of the tournament.

The clash between Cruz Azul and Charlotte FC represents another key intersection of the two leagues, as the Mexican side takes on the North Carolina-based MLS club. These matches are designed to determine regional dominance between the top-flight divisions of the United States and Mexico.