2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup

2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup

Tournament details
Dates	3 February – 30 May
Teams	27 (from TBD associations)
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The 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup is the 61st season of the CONCACAF Champions Cup, the premier club association football tournament for North, Central America, and the Caribbean organized by CONCACAF. It is a five-round knockout tournament, with 27 teams qualified based on their national and zonal league and cup competitions; the first four rounds are played as a two-legged series at the home stadiums of the respective teams, ending with a one-legged final. ^[1]

The winner will qualify for the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup and the 2026 FIFA Intercontinental Cup. ^[1]

Qualification

Twenty-seven teams qualify for the tournament, with five qualifying directly to the round of 16. The remaining 22 teams enter in round one. ^[1]

In addition to national league competitions in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, 12 of 27 berths are determined by international competitions, including the 2025 Leagues Cup (three), the 2025 CONCACAF Caribbean Cup (three), and the 2025 CONCACAF Central American Cup (six). ^[1]

Two Canadian Premier League teams qualify automatically, while the United States-only 2025 U.S. Open Cup knockout competition and the Canada-only equivalent, the 2025 Canadian Championship, provide one berth each.

The winners of the three international competitions, along with the winner of MLS Cup 2025 and the champion of the 2024–25 Liga MX season, received the five byes into the round of 16. ^[1]

Mexico City

Monterrey

Toluca

LA Galaxy

Inter Miami CF

Seattle Sounders FC

Mexico City teams
América
Cruz Azul
UNAM

Monterrey teams
Monterrey
UANL

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Location of teams of the 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup
North American Zone Central American Zone Caribbean Zone

Distribution

A total of 27 teams (from TBD associations) qualify for the tournament. ^[1]

• North American Zone: 18 teams (from three associations)
• Central American Zone: Six teams (from TBD associations)
• Caribbean Zone: Three teams (from TBD associations)

Five teams receive a bye into the round of 16. ^[1]

• The champion of the regional competitions for each of CONCACAF's constituent zones; North American, Central American, and Caribbean
• The champions of Liga MX of Mexico and Major League Soccer of the United States and Canada (Liga MX had a split Apertura and Clausura system, so the champion team with the higher aggregate points took this place. If a team won both Apertura and Clausura, they took this place.)

The remaining 22 teams entered in round one. ^[1]

• The runners-up and third-place team from the MLS–Liga MX Leagues Cup
• The runners-up and third-place team from the Caribbean Cup
• The runners-up, remaining semi-finalists, and two play-in winners from the Central American Cup
• The U.S. Open Cup champion
• The Canadian Championship winner
• The Canadian Premier League regular season winner and playoff champion
• The remaining winner with the worse record, two runners-up, and the two best next clubs by season aggregate from Liga MX
• The MLS Supporters' Shield winner
• The remaining MLS Conference regular-season leader, and the next two teams in the Supporters' Shield table

Teams

The following table includes the number of appearances, last appearance, and previous best from the CONCACAF Champions Cup tournament.

Teams entering in round of 16 (5)

Competition	Team	Qualifying method	App.(last)	Previous best (last)
Caribbean Cup		2025 Caribbean Cup champions
Central American Cup		2025 Central American Cup champions
Leagues Cup	Seattle Sounders FC	2025 Leagues Cup champions	10th (2025)	Champions (2022)
Liga MX	Toluca	2024–25 Liga MX Apertura or Clausura winner with the higher aggregate table points	14th (2024)	Champions (2003)
Major League Soccer		MLS Cup 2025 champions

Teams entering in round one (22)

Competition	Team	Qualifying method	App.(last)	Previous best (last)
Canadian Championship (1 berth)		2025 Canadian Championship winners
Canadian Premier League (2 berths)		2025 Canadian Premier League champions
		2025 CPL Shield winners
Caribbean Cup (2 berths)		2025 Caribbean Cup finalists
		2025 Caribbean Cup third place
Central American Cup (5 berths)		2025 Central American Cup runners-up
		2025 Central American Cup semi-finalists
		2025 Central American Cup play-in winners
Leagues Cup (2 berths)	Inter Miami CF	2025 Leagues Cup runners-up	3rd (2025)	Semi-finals (2025)
	LA Galaxy	2025 Leagues Cup third place	12th (2025)	Champions (2000)
Liga MX (5 berths)	América	2024–25 Liga MX Apertura or Clausura winner with the lower aggregate table points	17th (2025)	Champions (2015–16)
	Monterrey	2024–25 Liga MX Apertura runners-up	13th (2025)	Champions (2021)
	Cruz Azul	Next three best clubs in 2024–25 Liga MX aggregate table [Note MEX]	19th (2025)	Champions (2025)
	UANL		13th (2025)	Champions (2020)
	UNAM		13th (2025)	Champions (1989)
Major League Soccer (4 berths)		2025 Major League Soccer Supporters' Shield winners
		2025 Major League Soccer Eastern or Western Conference regular season winners
		Next best clubs in the 2025 Supporters' Shield standings
U.S. Open Cup (1 berth)		2025 U.S. Open Cup champions

1. ^
   Mexico (MEX): Since América won the Liga MX Apertura and was runner-up in the Clausura, a spot was passed to the third-best team in the aggregate table not already qualified, UNAM.

Draw

The draw for the tournament will take place on 9 December 2025. ^[1]

Round dates

The competition schedule is as follows. ^[1]

Round	First leg	Second leg
Round one	3–5 and 10–12 February	17–19 and 24–26 February
Round of 16	10–12 March	17–19 March
Quarter-finals	7–9 April	14–16 April
Semi-finals	28–30 April	5-7 May
Final	30 May

References

1. "2026 Champions Cup Key Details and Qualified Teams" (Press release). Miami, FL: CONCACAF. 29 August 2025. Retrieved 31 August 2025.

External links

• Official website