On Wednesday night, Nashville SC will kick off their 2026 Leagues Cup campaign. It's the first time the 'Yotes have played in the competition since 2024, when they failed to advance from the group stage in BJ Callaghan's first two matches as Nashville head coach.
Nashville are back in the tournament, thanks to making the MLS Cup Playoffs last season. It's a new format since they played last – instead of the tournament being split into groups, it's divided into 18 MLS clubs and 18 Liga MX clubs. Each club will play three group stage matches against teams from the opposite league. After the group stage is over, the top four MLS clubs and top four Liga MX clubs will advance to the knockout rounds.
We have a full explanation of the tournament, but there are a few key points to remember:
- The bar to advance from the group stage is high: in 2024, the top four MLS clubs finished with at least seven points. Losing any match in the group stage essentially eliminates a team from the competition.
- There are no draws. Every group stage match will enter penalty kick shootouts if tied after regulation. The team who wins the shootout will be awarded a total of two points for the match, while the losing team will earn a single point.
Ben Wright
Match info
Teams: Nashville SC vs Club León
Odds: NSH (-160), Draw (+300), LEO (+370)
Date: Wednesday, August 5, 2026
Time: 7:30 pm CT, Geodis Park, Nashville, TN, United States
TV: Apple TV
Forecast: 87º/71º. 82º at kickoff. Scattered storms. 0-3 mph winds. 45% chance of rain. 72% humidity.
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Head-to-head
Club León
The numbers
Goal leaders: Daniel Arcila, Diber Cambindo & Jordi Cortizo (1)
Assist leaders: Alfonso Alvarado (1)
Last match: LEO 1–0 PAC (August 1, 2026 | Liga MX)
Club León snapshot
León head into Leagues Cup in poor form. Head coach Ignacio Ambríz stepped down in March, with the club in poor form, and they eventually finished in 1oth place in the Clausura standings in the spring. Javier Gandolfi took over in March, and remains in charge.
Under Gandolfini, León have prioritized a highly transition-based attack. While they look to go direct, though, they're still able to play with the ball. In the Clausura last spring, they averaged 52.7% possession, the seventh-highest in Liga MX.
Forward Diber Cambindo is the focal point in attack. The Colombian striker is pacey and strong in the air, and flanked by Edgar Guerra and Jordi Cortizo, he'll hold the ball up and look to play to their feet in behind. In midfield, Rodrigo Echeverría and Fernando Beltrán look to win back possession quickly and play the ball forward. In a lot of ways, they mirror how Nashville's midfield approaches the game.
León get their fullbacks heavily involved in the match, with both bombing forward to stretch the pitch and create overloads. Despite this threat, they managed just 35 goals in 34 matches last season. They'll need to raise their attacking output to have a shot against Nashville at home.
Predicted XI
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Nashville SC
The numbers
Goal leaders: Sam Surridge (11), Hany Mukhtar (6)
Assist leaders: Cristian Espinoza (8), Hany Mukhtar & Andy Nájar (5)
Last match: DC 2–2 NSH (August 1, 2026 | MLS)
Nashville SC snapshot
Nashville head into Leagues Cup more banged up than anyone expected. Cristian Espinoza hasn't played since before the World Cup break, and is set to miss tonight's match as he continues to recover from an unspecified injury.
Hany Mukhtar left the DC loss with just 15 minutes left to play, seemingly with an injured ankle. Head coach BJ Callaghan said he was recovering and would be a game-time decision.
This brings Nashville to the big question: how heavily will they prioritize this competition? They currently lead the Supporters' Shield standings, and on August 15 will face off against Inter Miami at Geodis Park, who are just two points behind them on the table.
Nashville can prioritize both, and under Callaghan, they've done a good job taking every competition seriously while not stretching themselves too thin. On Wednesday, they'll enter the match knowing that anything but a win will almost certainly put them below the seven-point mark many expect to be the threshold for advancing to the knockout rounds.
Again, how heavily will Nashville prioritize Leagues Cup? We won't know for sure until their starting lineup drops an hour before kickoff tonight.
Predicted XI
Staff predictions
Ben Wright
Score: NSH 2–1 LEO
Scorers: Warren Madrigal, Reed Baker-Whiting
MOTM: Warren Madrigal
Bold prediction: Nashville rotate their lineup more than anyone expects.
Christina Moore
Score: NSH 2–0 LEO
Scorers: Jeisson Palacios, Elias Saad
MOTM: Jeisson Palacios
Bold prediction: Nashville comes home with something to prove to a ptsd-stricken midweek crowd. Opportunities come from set pieces and goals from unusual places, which Callaghan uses to highlight next-man-up mentality.
Colby Hitchcock
Score: NSH 1–0 LEO
Scorers: Maxwell Woledzi
MOTM: Maxwell Woledzi
Bold prediction: Nashville will dictate play and be more sound defensively.
Jeff Remlinger
Score: NSH 2–0 LEO
Scorers: Warren Madrigal, Shak Mohammed
MOTM: Eddi Tagseth
Bold prediction: León no-show. Nashville wins a painfully boring game
Ronan Briscoe
Score: NSH 1–0 LEO
Scorers: Elias Saad
MOTM: Elias Saad
Bold prediction: This time it is me who falls asleep during the game.
Valair Shabilla
Score: NSH 1–1 LEO
Scorers: Ahmed Qasem
MOTM: Ahmed Qasem
Bold prediction: León will go up early, and Nashville won't get their goal until 80+ mins.
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