San Diego Wave FC continues the inaugural NWSL x LIGA MX Femenil Summer Cup Friday, as all 14 NWSL clubs and the top six teams from LIGA MX Femenil take part.
The event, during the Paris Olympic Games window, marks the NWSL’s first-ever international club tournament.
The Summer Cup features five groups, four teams each, consisting of both NWSL and LIGA MX Femenil clubs. Each team will play at least three matches.
Four out of five group winners with the most points advance to the semifinals.
The Wave is a part of Group B alongside Bay FC, Angel City FC and Club América. San Diego and Angel City FC currently lead the group with three points.
The Wave returns to Snapdragon Stadium to host Club América, based in Mexico City, at 7 p.m. Friday. Tickets start at $20.
For the final group stage match, San Diego travels to face Angel City at Titan Stadium in Fullerton on Aug. 1.
San Diego hosted Bay FC for the first match of the tournament last weekend, winning 3-1 thanks to goals by defender Kennedy Wesley, midfielder María Sánchez and forward Amirah Ali.
Club América, Tigres UANL, Chivas de Guadalajara, Rayadas de Monterrey, Pachuca and Tijuana all earned their spot in the Summer Cup for having the most points in Apertura and Clausura during 2023.
Club Tijuana, competing in Group A, is 0-1 after a lopsided 5-0 loss to the Portland Thorns. The team next faces the Seattle Reign in Washington.
Semifinal matches will be held on Aug. 6 as double headers at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City. Then there’s a break until Oct. 25, when San Antonio hosts the championship match follows at Toyota Field.
Liga MX Femenil is the highest division of women’s soccer in Mexico, established in 2016 and currently featuring 18 clubs. The league’s calendar is split between two tournaments, the Apertura and the Clausura, which run through different five-month periods of the year.
All tournament matches will air on CBS Sports Network and stream live on Paramount+.
