This is the end of the CONCACAF Champions League. Long live the CONCACAF Champions Cup! For the 2024 game, the pan-continental event goes back to its old name, which hasn’t been used since 2008.
With a lot of top teams competing for the title of CONCACAF champion, this year’s tournament looks like it will be very exciting. Five teams are likely to win: Inter Miami, which won the 2023 League Cup with Lionel Messi on the team, FC Cincinnati, Houston Dynamo, and another MLS team. Liga MX giants Club América and Chivas are in charge of the Mexican team.
The CONCACAF Champions Cup has already had some exciting games in the first round, and there will be plenty more to come. This is all you need to know…
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What takes place if the CONCACAF Champions Cup ends in a tie?
Like a lot of soccer games these days, the new structure has made things easier. There is no group stage; all five rounds are made up of knockout games.
All games from Round 1 to the semifinals are played over two legs. If the scores are tied, away goals will be used to break the tie. If both sides have the same number of away goals, extra time will be played and then a penalty shootout will decide the winner. The whole thing is surprisingly simple.
The only thing that isn’t clear is that teams will get three points for wins and one point for draws as they move through the competition. After the round of 16, these points will be used to decide which team hosts the second game of ties.
How do groups get into the CONCACAF Champions Cup?
Most teams in the CONCACAF Champions Cup get in by finishing high in their home league. Teams that finish high in the United States (MLS), Mexico (Liga MX), and Canada (Canadian Premier League) also get in. Teams that win foreign competitions within CONCACAF also have a place to play. These include the Leagues Cup (three teams), the CONCACAF Caribbean Cup (three teams), and the CONCACAF Central American Cup (six teams).
Not every team that qualified goes into the game at the same time. In the first round, which is still going on, 22 teams are playing in 11 two-legged games. The 11 winners from those games will go to the Round of 16, where they will be joined by five other teams with better rankings.
Which 27 teams are in the CONCACAF Champions Cup 2024?
Over the next four months, 27 teams will compete to be the continental winners. These are all the teams that are still in the running for the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup…
There are eleven teams in Round One:
- Vancouver Whitecaps (Canada)
- Forge FC (Canada)
- Cavalry FC (Canada)
- Cavalier (Jamaica)
- Moca (Dominican Republic)
- Real Estelí (Nicaragua)
- Indepeniente (Panama)
- Herediano (Costa Rica)
- Comunicaciones (Guatemala)
- Saprissa (Costa Rica)
- Nashville SC (United States)
- Phildeldphia Union (United States)
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- FC Cincinatti (United States)
- St. Louis City (United States)
- Orlando City SC (United States)
- New England Revolution (United States)
- Houston Dynamo (United States)
- Tigres (Mexico)
- Toluca (Mexico)
- Guadalajara (Mexico)
- Monterrey (Mexico)
- Club América (Mexico)
Teams in the Round of 16
- Robinhood (Suriname), 2023 Caribbean Cup champions
- Alajuelense (Costa Rica), 2023 Central American Cup champions
- Inter Miami (United States), 2023 Leagues Cup champions
- Columbus Crew (United States), 2023 MLS Cup champions
- Pachuca (Mexico), 2022–23 Liga MX Apertura or Clausura champions with higher aggregate table points
Round One of the CONCACAF Champions League schedule
In round one, five of the two-legged games will be finished in the first half of February. The other six will be finished in the second half of the month.
- Saprissa – Philadelphia Union, 20 & 27 February
- Herediano – Toluca, 7 & 15 February
- Real Estelí – América, 6 & 14 February
- Forge FC – Guadalajara, 7 & 13 February
- Independiente – New England Revolution, 21 & 29 February
- St. Louis City SC – Houston Dynamo, 20 & 27 February
- Vancouver Whitecaps FC – Tigres, 7 & 14 February
- Cavalry FC – Orlando City SC, 21 & 27 February
- Comunicaciones – Monterrey, 6 & 15 February
- Cavalier FC Cincinnati, 22 & 28 February
- Moca – Nashville SC, 22 & 28 February
Schedule for the CONCACAF Champions Cup
This year’s game doesn’t have a group stage like the last ones did. The event is set up with five rounds of knockout games. The first four rounds will be played over two legs, but the final will only be played once and will take place without a home team.
Round 1
- First legs: 6-8 February & 20–22 February
- Second legs 13–15 February and 27–29 February
Round of 16
- First legs: 5-7 March
- Second legs: 12-14 March
Quarter-finals
- First legs: 2-4 April
- Second legs: 9-11 April
Semi-finals
- First legs: 23-25 April
- Second legs: 30 April – 2 May
Final
- 2 June
The winner of the event will get more than $5 million in prize money and other awards. This is five times the amount that was given out during the CONCACAF Champions League era, according to CONCACAF.
More people are watching the CONCACAF competition because of the rise of soccer in the US. The MLS teams will think they have a good chance to win the title.
The extra games will make it harder for teams to plan their schedules, especially since players may have to play for their country in the Copa America, the European Championships, or the Olympics this year. But the knockout format gives every team a chance to make history. This is the first time the CONCACAF Champions Cup has been held in this way, and it looks like it will be a great one.
