Concachampions · History

The CONCACAF Champions Cup has been contested since 2024 by 27 clubs from North America, Central America and the Caribbean. Its knockout rounds are played over two legs, and the final is a single match. It is the continental club competition of the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football, which has organized it since 1962. It was called the CONCACAF Champions League from 2008 to 2023. The winner earns a place in FIFA's global club competitions.

Beginnings in 1962

The first edition was played in 1962. Guadalajara won it, beating Comunicaciones of Guatemala in the final. For its first few decades the tournament ran on an irregular schedule. Some editions were cancelled or left unfinished, and the format changed almost every year depending on how many federations entered and how far apart the venues were. League champions from Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean met in zonal knockout rounds before a final that was not always staged the same way.

The Champions' Cup era

The competition kept the Champions' Cup name until 2008. Clubs from several countries won it during those years. Mexican teams took most of the titles, but Central American sides also lifted the trophy, among them Costa Rica's Saprissa and Alajuelense. In 2000, Los Angeles Galaxy became the first Major League Soccer club to win it. Starting in 2006, Mexican clubs began a run of consecutive titles that lasted more than fifteen years.

The Champions League (2008-2023)

For the 2008-09 edition the tournament was renamed the CONCACAF Champions League. It introduced a group stage followed by knockout rounds, and Atlante became the first champion under the new name. Monterrey won three straight editions from 2011 to 2013 and won again in 2019 and 2021. The group stage was dropped in 2018, leaving a 16-team straight knockout format. The Mexican streak ended in 2022, when Seattle Sounders beat Pumas in the final and became the first MLS club to win the competition in that format. In 2023 the title went back to Mexico with León.

The original name returns in 2024

For the 2024 edition, CONCACAF brought back the Champions Cup name and expanded the field to 27 clubs. The final became a single match hosted by the higher-ranked finalist. Pachuca won that final 3-0 against Columbus Crew. The new calendar was tied to qualification for the FIFA Club World Cup, with the champions of four consecutive editions earning places in the global tournament.

Most successful clubs

América and Cruz Azul share the record of seven titles each. América won two of theirs in 2015 and 2016, taking back-to-back Champions League editions. Cruz Azul won three tournaments in a row from 1969 to 1971, two more in 1996 and 1997, and another in 2014. Rivalries between Mexican clubs have shaped many of the knockout rounds. In 2025, América faced Guadalajara and then Cruz Azul in the same edition of the competition.

The 2025 final

Cruz Azul won the 2025 edition by thrashing Vancouver Whitecaps 5-0 in the final on June 1, 2025, at the Estadio Olímpico Universitario in Mexico City. Ángel Sepúlveda scored twice. It was the widest winning margin in a final since 1990. The result gave the club its seventh title, which drew it level with América at the top of the list. It also qualified Cruz Azul for the 2025 FIFA Intercontinental Cup and the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup.