CONCACAF Champions League
| CONCACAF Champions League | |
| Concacaf Champions League.svg | |
| abbreviation | CL |
| Association | CONCACAF |
| First edition | 1962 (as CONCACAF Champions' Cup) |
| Teams | 16 (since 2018) |
| Game mode | Knockout system (since 2018) |
| Title holder |
 CF Monterrey (4th title)
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| Record winner |
Club América (7 wins)
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| Record scorer |
Javier Orozco (24 goals)
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| Current season | 2019 |
| Website | www.concacaf.com |
| Qualification for | FIFA Club World Cup |
The CONCACAF Champions League (also Scotiabank Champions League ) is a football competition for club teams in North and Central America and the Caribbean that has been held under this name since the 2008/2009 season and is organized by CONCACAF. It is the direct successor to the CONCACAF Champions' Cup , which was played from 1962 to 2008. The respective winner is qualified for the FIFA Club World Cup.
history
The forerunner of the competition was the CONCACAF Champions' Cup , which has been held annually in spring since 1962. The CONCACAF Champions 'Cup was comparable to the European Champion Clubs ' Cup or the South American Copa Libertadores , but it did not have the same status for the clubs. The competition offered comparatively little financial incentive for the clubs, and the dominance of teams from Costa Rica and Mexico resulted in less public interest in the other countries. Since Mexican clubs were able to take part in the Copa Libertadores, the Champions Cup has also lost importance in the Primera División of Mexico. The Mexican teams were more interested in getting a place in the Copa Libertadores through the InterLiga than in participating in the Champions Cup.
Eight teams from the following regions took part:
- 3 teams from Central America (1st - 3rd place at the Copa Interclubes UNCAF )
- 2 teams from Mexico ( Primera División : Master Apertura and Master Clausura)
- 2 teams from the USA / Canada ( Major League Soccer : champions and best team of the regular season)
- 1 team from the Caribbean (winner CFU Club Championship )
Since 2005, the winner of the CONCACAF Champions Cup has participated in the FIFA Club World Cup, and the runner-up received one of the three CONCACAF starting places in the Copa Sudamericana , which was not restricted to South American teams until 2008. These changes had led to increased interest in the Champions Cup from both the club and the fans.
In 2001, instead of the Champions Cup, the CONCACAF Giants Cup was organized, in which the teams with the highest number of visitors from their respective national leagues played against each other. The 2001 Giants Cup was won by Club América from Mexico.
mode
All games in the tournament will be played in the evenings of the week Tuesday through Thursday, following the European model. The qualifying matches are played from July to the beginning of August, the group stage runs from August to the end of October. The knockout round begins in March and ends with the final at the end of April.
qualification
A total of 24 teams take part in the tournament. The previous year's winner is not automatically qualified.
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9 teams from North America, including
- 4 teams from the USA ( champions , cup winners , both conference winners of the regular season)
- 4 teams from Mexico (each winner and runner-up of Apertura and Clausura of Liga MX )
- 1 team from Canada ( cup winners )
- 3 teams from the Caribbean Football Union (best 3 teams in the CFU Club Championship )
- 12 teams from the Unión Centroamericana de Fútbol , including
- 2 teams from Costa Rica
- 2 teams from El Salvador
- 2 teams from Guatemala
- 2 teams from Honduras
- 2 teams from Panama
- 1 team from Belize
- 1 team from Nicaragua
If a team that is actually qualified does not meet the license conditions or does not compete, the free space will be reassigned by Concacaf. This can change the number of teams per national or regional association.
- ↑ if a Canadian team occupies one or a US team more than one of these places, the remaining places will be given to the best teams of the regular season that are not yet qualified
Group stage
The qualified teams are drawn into 8 groups of 3 teams each, whereby two or more teams from the same national association cannot normally be drawn into the same group.
The group stage consists of four game days, with each team playing once at home and once away against the other two teams. The three-point rule is used here. The eight group winners qualify for the quarter-finals. In the event of a tie at the end of the group stage, the following rules are used to determine the group winner:
- points scored in direct comparison
- better goal difference in direct comparison
- higher number of away goals scored in direct comparison
- better goal difference in all group matches
- higher number of goals scored in all group matches
- higher number of away goals scored in all group matches
- in the end the lot decides
Final round
The knockout rounds, including the finals, will be played in the home and away leg. The pairings are determined by a seeding list based on the results of the group phase, with the strongest team in the group phase meeting the weakest in the quarter-finals, etc. The seeded team has home rights in the second leg. The away goals rule also applies here (with the exception of extra time ) . The winner will qualify for the FIFA Club World Cup .
The finals and winners
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Leaderboards
1 as Atletico Español
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Top scorer / awards
The “Golden Shoe” has been awarded since 2008. Since 2011, the best player has also been selected for each tournament.
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Web links
- Official website of the competition (English)
- Game details for the competitions on rsssf.com (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ MLSsoccer staff: How MLS clubs qualify for 2016–2017 CONCACAF Champions League MLSsoccer.com. MLSsoccer.com, accessed September 1, 2016 .