History of CONCACAF Champions Cup in Timeline
The CONCACAF Champions Cup is an annual international club competition organized by CONCACAF, serving as the premier club football tournament for North America, Central America, and the Caribbean. Formerly known as the CONCACAF Champions League (2008-2023), the tournament determines the continental champion. The winning team secures automatic qualification for both the FIFA Club World Cup and the FIFA Intercontinental Cup, providing them the opportunity to compete against the best clubs from other continents.
1962: Inaugural Edition
In 1962, the CONCACAF Champions Cup held its inaugural edition.
1971: Expansion of the Champions' Cup
In 1971, the runners-up of a few North American leagues began to participate, expanding the tournament with round-robin group phases and more teams.
1981: Combination of North and Central American Zones
From 1981, the North and Central American zones were usually combined, with the winner facing the Caribbean zone winner in the final.
1993: Qualification for final round
From 1993 to 1996, three clubs from the North/Central American zone and one club from the Caribbean zone qualified for the final round of the tournament.
1996: Qualification for final round
From 1993 to 1996, three clubs from the North/Central American zone and one club from the Caribbean zone qualified for the final round of the tournament.
2002: Home-and-Away Format Change
In 2002, the CONCACAF Champions Cup changed to a home-and-away format after being hosted in a central location with single-leg ties. Four North American zone clubs qualified from Liga MX or Major League Soccer, three Central American clubs from the UNCAF Interclub Cup, and one Caribbean club from the CFU Club Championship.
2003: Expansion to 16 Teams
In 2003, the tournament expanded to 16 teams, with twice as many teams qualifying from each zone.
2005: FIFA Club World Cup Entry
Since 2005, the champion of the competition has gained entry into the FIFA Club World Cup.
2006: CONCACAF Meeting
At their 2006 November meeting, the CONCACAF Executive Committee decided to develop the CONCACAF Champions' Cup into a larger "Champions League" style event.
November 2007: CONCACAF Executive Committee Report
On 14 November 2007, the CONCACAF Executive Committee reported some of the details about a larger "Champions League" style event.
2007: End of UNCAF Interclub Cup
In 2007, the UNCAF Interclub Cup was ended after Central American clubs began qualifying directly for the Champions League.
April 2008: Last Champions' Cup Format
In April 2008, the last eight-team Champions' Cup format was used.
August 2008: Expanded Champions League Tournament
In August 2008, a newly expanded 24-team Champions League tournament was conducted.
2008: CONCACAF Champions League Name Change
In 2008, the CONCACAF Champions Cup was renamed the CONCACAF Champions League, serving as the premier club competition for North America, Central America, and the Caribbean.
2008: Champions' Cup Renamed
Prior to 2008, the tournament was called the CONCACAF Champions' Cup.
2008: Re-branding of the competition
Since the re-branding of the competition to the CONCACAF Champions League in 2008, group stages had been employed.
May 2009: Conclusion of Expanded Champions League Tournament
In May 2009, the expanded 24-team Champions League tournament concluded.
2009: Real Esteli Replaced Due to Stadium Requirements
In 2009, Real Esteli of Nicaragua failed stadium requirements and was replaced by another team for the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons.
2010: Real Esteli Replaced Due to Stadium Requirements
In 2010, Real Esteli of Nicaragua failed stadium requirements and was replaced by another team for the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons.
January 12, 2012: CONCACAF Announces New Tournament Format
On January 12, 2012, CONCACAF announced a new tournament format for the 2012-13 season, eliminating the preliminary round and having all qualified teams enter the group stage.
2012: Previous Tournament Format
Prior to the 2012 season, the competition 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.
2014: Scotiabank Title Sponsor
From 2014-15, Scotiabank was the title sponsor of the Champions League.
2014: Belize Team Replaced Due to Stadium Requirements
In 2014, the qualifying team from Belize failed stadium requirements and was replaced by another team from 2009-10 through 2014-15.
April 2015: Club América Sets Attendance Record
On 8 April 2015, Club América set a CONCACAF Champions League match attendance record with 66,208 spectators at the Estadio Azteca.
December 2016: Possible new format discussed
In December 2016, Manuel Quintanilla spoke of a possible new format for the competition.
January 2017: New 16-team format confirmed
On 23 January 2017, CONCACAF confirmed a new 16-team format beginning with the 2018 edition, eliminating the group stage.
2017: CONCACAF League Introduced
In 2017, the CONCACAF League, a new secondary tournament, was introduced.
2018: Start of 16-team format
In 2018, CONCACAF implemented a new 16-team format.
2018: Elimination of Group Stage
In 2018, the CONCACAF Champions Cup transitioned to a knockout format, eliminating the group stage that had been present in previous editions.
2018: Introduction of Current Trophy Design
In 2018, the current CONCACAF Champions Cup trophy design was introduced.
2018: All-Knockout format used since 2018
In September 2021, CONCACAF announced an expansion of the tournament to begin in 2024, retaining the all-knockout format used since 2018.
2018: Tournament format prior to 2018
Prior to 2018, the tournament consisted of a group stage held from August to October, and a knockout phase held from March to May of the following year.
2019: Away Goals Rule Change
Beginning in 2019, the away goals rule would not be applied for the final round.
2019: Changes to CONCACAF League qualification
For the 2019-20 competition cycle, the direct Central American berths were removed and the CONCACAF League was expanded.
February 2021: Announced Overhaul of Tournament
In February 2021, CONCACAF announced a major overhaul of the tournament which would have included 50 teams and a regional group stage. This format was ultimately abandoned.
May 2022: Seattle Sounders FC Surpass Attendance Record
On 4 May 2022, Seattle Sounders FC surpassed the attendance record at Lumen Field in the final against Pumas UNAM with 68,741 spectators.
2022: CONCACAF League Ceases
In 2022, the CONCACAF League ceased with the implementation of the new tournament format.
2022: Prize Money Distribution
In 2022, the prize money was paid to clubs.
June 2023: Renaming to CONCACAF Champions Cup
On 6 June 2023, it was announced that the competition had been renamed back to CONCACAF Champions Cup.
2023: End of Scotiabank Title Sponsorship
From 2014-15 until 2023, Scotiabank was the title sponsor of the Champions League.
2023: End of the CONCACAF Champions League era
In 2023, the CONCACAF Champions League era ended, marking the conclusion of the tournament under that name and format.
2024: Pachuca Wins CONCACAF Champions Cup
In 2024, Pachuca defeated Columbus Crew in the final to become the CONCACAF Champions Cup champions.
2024: Expansion of the Tournament
In September 2021, CONCACAF announced an expansion of the tournament to begin in 2024, retaining the all-knockout format since 2018, but now consisting of five rounds and 27 teams participating.
2024: Increased Prize Money
Starting with the 2024 edition of the competition, the winning club will receive over US$5,000,000 in prize money and financial distributions.
