CONCACAF Champions League
The CONCACAF Champions League is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONCACAF for the top football clubs in North America, Central America, and the Caribbean. The winner of the CONCACAF Champions League automatically qualifies for the quarter-finals of the FIFA Club World Cup. The tournament has officially been known as the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League since February 2015 to reflect Scotiabank's sponsorship. The competition has been completed 54 times through the 2019 event, with 56 champions due to a three-way shared title in the 1978 competition.
The tournament currently uses a knockout format, though the tournament had a group stage prior to the 2018 tournament. Unlike its European and South American counterparts, the winners of the CONCACAF Champions League do not automatically qualify for the following season's competition.
The competition was originally known as the CONCACAF Champions' Cup when it was first organized in 1962. The title has been won by 28 clubs, 17 of which have won the title more than once. Mexican clubs have accumulated the highest number of victories, with 34 titles in total. The second most successful league has been Costa Rica's Primera División with six titles in total. Mexican side Club América are the most successful club in the competition's history with seven titles, followed by fellow Mexican-side Cruz Azul with six titles. The most successful non-Mexican club is Saprissa of Costa Rica with three titles. The only four teams to successfully defend the trophy are all Mexican: América, Cruz Azul, Pachuca and Monterrey. The current champions of the competition are Monterrey, who defeated UANL in the 2019 finals.
Competition format
The tournament currently employs a 16 team knockout format and is played between February and May. Ten teams qualify automatically based on domestic performance, along with the top six teams of the CONCACAF League, played at the end of the previous calendar year.Each round of competition consists of a two-leg home-and-away series with the winner determined by aggregate goals over both legs. If aggregate goals are equal, the away goals rule is applied. If away goals are also equal, the game is decided by an immediate penalty shoot-out; there are no overtime periods.
Prior to 2018, the tournament had two parts: a group stage held from August to October, and a knockout phase held from March to May of the following year. The group stage consisted of 24 teams playing in eight groups of three teams each, with each team playing the other two teams in its group twice. United States and Mexican sides could not be drawn into the same group. The winners of each of the eight groups advanced to the quarterfinals. Each phase of the knockout rounds consisted of a two-leg home-and-away series with the winner determined by aggregate goal differential. Seeding in the knockout phase was determined by performance during the group stage.
Prior to the 2012–13 season, the competition had involved four groups of four, with one Mexican team and one U.S. team in each group. A preliminary round was used to reduce the number of teams from 24 to 16.
History
The competition was initially created as a possible measure to enter the South American Copa Libertadores, a competition organized by CONMEBOL.Prior to 2008, the tournament was officially called the "CONCACAF Champions' Cup", but was usually referred to simply as the "Champions' Cup". The competition has had several different formats over its lifetime. From 1962 until 1995, the finalists, or clubs participating in a final round, would be decided by clubs who qualify via two separate brackets: a Caribbean Island qualifier and a Northern/Central American qualification competition. Initially, only the champions of the North American leagues participated. In 1971, the runners-up of a few North American leagues began to join and the tournament began to be expanded, incorporating round-robin group phases and more teams. After the creation of the United States' Major League Soccer, the competition became a straight knockout competition from 1997 until it was revamped into a tournament with a group stage in 2008.
Champions' Cup Era (1962–2008)
The competition's former format, a knockout tournament called the Champions' Cup, was played under a variety of formats. The last format, used from 2004 to 2008, had eight teams competing – four from the North American zone, three from the Central American zone, and one from the Caribbean zone. Since 2005, the champion of the competition also gained entry into the FIFA Club World Cup, giving clubs an added incentive for a strong participation and greater interest from fans. Also, the Champions' Cup Runner-up would be one of the three CONCACAF invitees to the Copa Sudamericana.Champions League Era (2008–2017)
The CONCACAF Executive Committee at their 2006 November meeting decided to "act upon" a proposal—first delineated in 2003 by then Head of Special Projects Mel Brennan—at their next meeting by the CONCACAF Secretariat to develop the CONCACAF Champions’ Cup into a larger "Champions League" style event. The CONCACAF Executive Committee reported on 14 November 2007 some of the details.The previous Champions' Cup format was used as planned in March and April 2008. Then, a newly expanded Champions League tournament was conducted starting in August 2008 and concluding in May 2009. The initial setup involved 24 teams and featured a Preliminary Round contested by 16 teams to reduce the field to 16 teams, which were separated into four groups of four teams. After the Group Stage, the Championship Round are held from the Quarterfinal Round onward.
Since 2012, the 24 teams have been divided into eight groups of three teams. The first placed teams qualify for the quarter finals. The quarter finals, semi finals and final are played over two legs.
Tournament restructuring (2018–present)
In December 2016, Manuel Quintanilla, president of the Nicaraguan Football Federation, spoke of a possible new format for the competition, a statement that was later corroborated by Garth Lagerwey, the general manager of Seattle Sounders FC. On 23 January 2017, CONCACAF confirmed the new format beginning with the 2018 edition, eliminating the group stage which had been employed since the re-branding of the competition to the CONCACAF Champions League in 2008.Under the new CONCACAF competition platform, 31 club teams will compete in CONCACAF competitions. 22 teams compete in a new tournament played from August to December, called the CONCACAF League. The CONCACAF League features 18 teams from Central America, three teams from the Caribbean and one team from North America. The champion and next best 5 clubs advances to the CONCACAF Champions League, played between February and May of the next calendar year, joining nine teams from North America, five teams from Central America, and one team from the Caribbean.
Qualification
A total of 16 teams participate in the CONCACAF Champions League: at least nine from the North American Zone, and at least one team from the Caribbean Zone. The remaining six berths goes to the top-six placed teams in the CONCACAF League, played between 18 teams from the Central American Zone, three from the Caribbean Zone and one from the North American Zone. At least two Central American Zone teams will qualify through the CONCACAF League.Nine from the North American Zone:
One club from the Caribbean Zone:
Six clubs from the Central American, Caribbean, or North American Zones.
Clubs may be disqualified and replaced by a club from another association if the club does not have an available stadium that meets CONCACAF regulations for safety. If a club's own stadium fails to meet the set standards then it may find a suitable replacement stadium within its own country. However, if it is still determined that the club cannot provide the adequate facilities then it runs the risk of being replaced.
North American Zone
Nine teams from the North American Football Union qualify to the Champions League. Mexico and the United States are each allocated four berths, the most of any of CONCACAF's member associations, while Canada is granted one berth in the tournament.For Mexico, the winners and runners-up of the Liga MX Apertura and Clausura tournaments qualify for the Champions League.
For the United States, three berths are allocated through the Major League Soccer regular season and playoffs ; the fourth berth is allocated to the winner of its domestic cup competition, the U.S. Open Cup. If a Canada-based team occupies any MLS-allocated berth, or any U.S-based team qualifies for the Champions League by more than one method, the Champions League place is allocated to the U.S.-based team with the best MLS regular season record which has failed to otherwise qualify.
The lone Canadian berth is awarded to the winner of the Canadian Championship – Canada's domestic cup competition. When Canada hosted the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, the Canadian Championship was moved from April–May to April–August, overlapping with the start of the Champions League. For the 2015–16 tournament only, the Canadian berth into the tournament was given to the best Canadian team in the MLS regular season.
Caribbean Zone
One team from the Caribbean Football Union qualifies directly to the Champions League. This berth goes to the winners of the Caribbean Club Championship.If the Caribbean qualifier is precluded, they are supplanted by the runners-up of the Caribbean Club Championship.
CONCACAF League
The final six berths are awarded to the top-six placed teams in CONCACAF League. Twenty two teams participate in this tournament, 18 from the Central American Zone, three from the Caribbean Zone, and one from Canada.Stadium standards
If a club fails to meet the standards for its home stadium, the club must find a suitable stadium in its own country, and if the club fails to provide the adequate facilities, it runs the risk of being replaced by another team. Real Esteli of Nicaragua failed stadium requirements and was replaced by another team for the 2009–10 and 2010–11 seasons. Estadio Independencia in Nicaragua has since been renovated, including upgrades to stadium lighting, and Nicaraguan teams now participate. The qualifying team from Belize has failed stadium requirements and has been replaced by another team in each season from 2009–10 through 2014–15.If one or more of the five Central American clubs is precluded, it will be supplanted by a club from the best Central American league, based on results from the current Champions League. If the Caribbean qualifier is precluded, they are supplanted by the runners-up of the CFU Club Championship.
Attendance records
During Champions League era:| Rank | Date | Hosts | Visitors | Venue | Attendance |
| 1 |  América | UANL | Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico | 80,000 | |
| 2 | América |  Herediano |  Estadio Azteca, Mexico City | 66,208 | |
| 3 |  Montreal Impact | América |  Stade Olympique, Montreal | 61,004 | |
| 4 | América | Montreal Impact | Estadio Azteca, Mexico City | 56,783 | |
| 5 | Montreal Impact | Santos Laguna | Stade Olympique, Montreal | 55,571 | |
| 6 | C.F. Monterrey | UANL | Estadio BBVA Bancomer, Monterrey, Mexico | 53,500 | |
| 7 | March 7, 2018 |  Seattle Sounders FC | Guadalajara |  CenturyLink Field, Seattle | 42,885 |
| 8 | Seattle Sounders FC | América | CenturyLink Field, Seattle | 42,836 | |
| 9 | UANL | América | Estadio Universitario, Monterrey, Nuevo Leon | 41,000 | |
| 10 | América | Saprissa | Estadio Azteca, Mexico City | 40,688 |
Sponsorship
The CONCACAF Champions League has several corporate sponsors: Scotiabank, Miller Lite, MoneyGram, Maxxis Tires, and Nike. The sponsors' names appear on the boards around the perimeter of the field, and boards for pre-game and post-game interviews and press conferences. Nike is also the official provider of game balls and referee uniforms.Broadcasters
CONCACAF
Outside CONCACAF
All 30 matches are streamed through both CONCACAF's official Facebook page and Youtube channel with highlights available in all territories.| Country | Broadcaster |
| Sportdigital | |
| Sportdigital | |
| Sportdigital | |
| Sport Klub* | |
| Sport Klub* | |
| Sport Klub* | |
| Sport Klub* | |
| Sport Klub* | |
| Sport Klub* |
Finals
Champions' Cup Era (1962–2008)
Champions League Era (2008–present)
Records and statistics
Overall performances by club
- When sorted by years won or lost, the table is sorted by the year of each team's most recent win or loss.
Overall performances by country
Champions League
Performances by club
Performances by nation
Best results by country
Notes:- Nicaragua had an automatic berth in the Champions League until the 2016–17 season, but no Nicaraguan club has advanced to the knockout rounds or even won a match in Champions League group play.
- 1 Olimpia won the 1st leg of the 2020 Quarterfinals. However the round was not finished because of the suspension of all tournaments due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Results by league
Results include matches from preliminary rounds, group play, and knockout play.
* Penalty shoot-out considered a separate event from the match which preceded it.
| CCL Season | Mexico | United States | Costa Rica | Honduras | Canada | Guatemala | Panama | El Salvador | Dominican Republic | Trinidad and Tobago | Jamaica | Haiti | Nicaragua | Puerto Rico | Belize | Guyana |
| 2008–09 | 23*–12–10 | 2–9–5 | 3–3–2 | 7–5–4 | 5–2–2 | 2–3–3 | 3–7–4 | 2–3–3 | – | 3–5–0 | 0–1–0 | – | 0–1–1 | 6–3*–3 | 0–2–0 | – |
| 2009–10 | 30–8–10 | 7–9–8 | 2–5–3 | 9–9–0 | 0–1–1 | 3–6–1 | 5–6–1 | 1–5–2 | – | 4–10–2 | – | – | – | 1–3–4 | – | – |
| 2010–11 | 25–10–6 | 13–12–4 | 6–4–2 | 7–9–2 | 3–2–3 | 2–3–3 | 2–8–0 | 1–5–4 | – | 1–7–2 | – | – | – | 3–2–3 | – | – |
| 2011–12 | 26–14–6 | 13–15–4 | 7–6–1 | 3–11–2 | 6–3–3 | 3–4–1 | 2–4–2 | 5–7–0 | – | – | – | 0–2–0 | 0–2–0 | 1–0–1 | – | 0–1–1 |
| 2012–13 | 19–4–7 | 14–6–6 | 5–2–3 | 2–3–3 | 2–2–0 | 4–4–2 | 0–8–0 | 2–10–0 | – | 0–5–3 | – | – | 0–3–1 | 1–2–1 | – | – |
| 2013–14 | 20*–6–6 | 11–6–5 | 7–7–2 | 2–5–1 | 2–2–0 | 4–4–0 | 4–5–1 | 3–3–2 | – | 0–7–1 | – | 0–4–0 | 0–3–1 | – | – | – |
| 2014–15 | 13–4–7 | 11–4–3 | 10–6–6 | 4–4–2 | 4–2–4 | 3–3–2 | 1–6–1 | 0–7–1 | – | – | 2–2–0 | – | 0–2–2 | 0–4–0 | – | 0–4–0 |
| 2015–16 | 18–6–12 | 10–5–9 | 3–3–2 | 4–3–1 | 1–2–1 | 2–4–2 | 4–4–0 | 1–5–2 | – | 2–5–1 | 0–3–1 | – | 0–4–0 | – | 1–2–1 | – |
| 2016–17 | 17–7–6 | 9–6–7 | 3–3–4 | 4–2–2 | 5–2–1 | 1–3–4 | 6–3–1 | 1–4–3 | – | 0–6–2 | – | 0–4–0 | 0–2–2 | – | 0–4–0 | – |
| 2018 | 11–6*–5 | 6–5–3 | 0–2–2 | 0–2–2 | 4*–2–2 | – | 1–3–0 | 1–1–0 | 0–2–0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2019 | 14–7–3 | 9–9–0 | 2–2–0 | 0–2–0 | 0–1–1 | 0–2–0 | 2–1–1 | 0–1–1 | 0–2–0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Totals | 218–84–78 | 105–86–54 | 48–43–27 | 42–55–19 | 32–21–18 | 24–36–18 | 30–55–11 | 17–51–18 | 0–4–0 | 10–45–11 | 2–6–1 | 0–10–0 | 0–17–7 | 12–14–12 | 1–8–1 | 0–5–1 |