History of CONCACAF Champions Cup in Timeline

The CONCACAF Champions Cup is an annual international club football competition organized by CONCACAF. It serves as the premier club tournament for teams from North America, Central America, and the Caribbean. The winner of the competition qualifies for both the FIFA Club World Cup and the FIFA Intercontinental Cup, providing a pathway to global club competitions. Formerly known as the CONCACAF Champions League (from 2008 to 2023), the tournament determines the best club team in the CONCACAF region each year.

1962: Competition Began

In 1962, the CONCACAF Champions Cup competition began.

1962: Inaugural Edition

In 1962, the inaugural edition of the CONCACAF Champions Cup was held.

1964: Tournament Not Held

The CONCACAF Champions Cup tournament was not held in 1964.

1965: Tournament Not Held

The CONCACAF Champions Cup tournament was not held in 1965.

1966: Tournament Not Held

The CONCACAF Champions Cup tournament was not held in 1966.

1971: Expansion of Tournament

In 1971, the CONCACAF Champions Cup began to expand, incorporating runners-up from North American leagues, round-robin group phases, and more teams.

1981: North and Central American Zones Combined

From 1981, the North and Central American zones were usually combined in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, with the winner of the joint zone facing the winner of the Caribbean zone in the final.

1985: Caribbean Team Last Title

In 1985, the last Caribbean title was in 1985 with Defence Force, also of Trinidad and Tobago.

1991: Caribbean Team Last Appearance at the Final

The last Caribbean appearance at the final was in 1991 with Police of Trinidad and Tobago.

1993: Final Round Format

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 CONCACAF Champions Cup tournament, which was held in a central location.

1996: Final Round Format

2001: Tournament Not Completed

The CONCACAF Champions Cup tournament was not completed in 2001.

2002: Introduction of Eight-Team Knockout Tournament

In 2002, after the creation of Major League Soccer, the CONCACAF Champions Cup competition became an eight-team knockout tournament with zonal qualification. The first four editions were hosted in a central location with single leg ties before changing to a home-and-away format.

2003: 16-Team Tournament

In 2002 and 2003, the CONCACAF Champions Cup tournament consisted of 16 teams with twice as many qualifying from each zone.

2005: Central American Team Last Won Title

In 2005, Saprissa was also the last Central American team to win the CONCACAF Champions Cup title.

2005: Entry into FIFA Club World Cup

Since 2005, the champion of the CONCACAF Champions Cup competition gained entry into the FIFA Club World Cup, increasing the incentive for participation and fan interest.

2006: CONCACAF Executive Committee Meeting

At their November 2006 meeting, the CONCACAF Executive Committee decided to develop the CONCACAF Champions' Cup into a larger "Champions League" style event.

November 2007: CONCACAF Executive Committee Details

On 14 November 2007, the CONCACAF Executive Committee reported some of the details of the proposed expansion of the CONCACAF Champions' Cup.

2007: End of UNCAF Interclub Cup

In 2007, the UNCAF Interclub Cup was ended after 2007, as Central American clubs would qualify directly for the expanded tournament.

April 2008: Last Eight-Team Champions' Cup

In April 2008, the last eight-team Champions' Cup format was used.

August 2008: Expanded 24-Team Champions League Tournament

In August 2008, the newly expanded 24-team Champions League tournament was conducted, starting in August 2008 and concluding in May 2009.

2008: Champions League Re-Branding

In 2008, the CONCACAF Champions League re-branded with a new 16-team format for the CONCACAF Champions Cup competition, eliminating the group stage which had been employed.

2008: CONCACAF Champions League Established

In 2008, the CONCACAF Champions League was established, evolving from the previous CONCACAF Champions Cup. This marked the beginning of the competition's modern format and branding.

2008: Name Change

Prior to 2008, the tournament was referred to as the CONCACAF Champions' Cup.

2008: Central American Team Last Reached Final

Since the 2008–09 season, only clubs from Mexico, United States, and Canada have reached the finals, with Mexican clubs winning 14 of the 15 titles contested and one title won by a club from the United States. The last team from Central America to reach the final was Saprissa in 2008

May 2009: Conclusion of Expanded Tournament

The newly expanded 24-team Champions League tournament that started in August 2008, concluded in May 2009.

2009: Stadium Standard Failures

In 2009, Real Esteli of Nicaragua failed stadium requirements and was replaced by another team for the 2009–10 and 2010–11 seasons.

2010: Stadium Standard Failures

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: New Tournament Format Announced

On January 12, 2012, CONCACAF announced that the 2012–13 tournament would be played under a different format than previous editions, where the preliminary round is eliminated and all qualified teams enter the group stage. In the group stage, the 24 teams are drawn into eight groups of three.

2012: Competition Format Before 2012-13 Season

Prior to the 2012-13 season, the CONCACAF Champions Cup consisted of four groups of four, with one Mexican and one U.S. team in each group. A preliminary round reduced the number of teams from 24 to 16.

2014: Scotiabank Title Sponsorship

In 2014, Scotiabank became a title sponsor of the Champions League.

2014: Stadium Standard Failures

In 2014, the qualifying team from Belize failed stadium requirements and was replaced by another team in each season from 2009–10 through 2014–15.

April 2015: Attendance Record

On 8 April 2015, Mexican side Club América broke the all time CONCACAF Champions League match attendance record when a reported 66,208 spectators gathered at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City to watch América play Costa Rican club Herediano.

December 2016: Possible New Format Mentioned

In December 2016, Manuel Quintanilla, president of the Nicaraguan Football Federation, spoke of a possible new format for the CONCACAF Champions Cup competition.

January 2017: New 16-Team Format Confirmed

On 23 January 2017, CONCACAF confirmed a new 16-team format for the CONCACAF Champions Cup competition, 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.

2017: Introduction of CONCACAF League

In 2017, a new secondary tournament called CONCACAF League would be played from August to December. The winner of CONCACAF League would qualify to the following year's Champions League.

2018: Prior Format Details

Before 2018, the tournament had a group stage from August to October, followed by a knockout phase from March to May. The group stage had 24 teams in eight groups, with winners advancing to the quarterfinals. Knockout rounds were two-leg series, seeded by group stage performance.

2018: Introduction of Knockout Format

In 2018, the CONCACAF Champions Cup switched to a knockout format, eliminating the group stage that had been present in previous editions. Unlike other major continental tournaments, the winner does not automatically qualify for the following edition.

2018: New 16-Team Format

In 2018, the CONCACAF confirmed a new 16-team format for the CONCACAF Champions Cup competition, eliminating the group stage which had been employed since the re-branding of the competition to the CONCACAF Champions League in 2008.

2018: Current Trophy Design Introduced

In 2018, the current CONCACAF Champions Cup trophy design was introduced, and it was designed and made by Thomas Lyte.

2019: Away Goals Rule Change

Beginning in 2019, the away goals rule would not be applied for the final round of the CONCACAF Champions League.

2019: Changes to CONCACAF League

For the 2019–20 competition cycle, the direct Central American berths were removed and CONCACAF League was expanded so that the top-six clubs would qualify to Champions League.

February 2021: Announcement of Tournament Overhaul

In February 2021, CONCACAF announced a major overhaul of the tournament which would have included 50 teams and a regional group stage, but this format was later abandoned.

May 2022: Attendance Record Broken

On 4 May 2022, the attendance record was surpassed by the Seattle Sounders FC at Lumen Field in the final against Pumas UNAM with an announced attendance of 68,741.

2022: Prize Money Paid to Clubs

In 2022, the prize money paid to clubs was $500,000 for the champions, $300,000 for the runners-up, and $200,000 for each semifinalist.

2022: CONCACAF League Ceases

The CONCACAF League would also cease in 2022 with the new format, where teams can qualify for the CONCACAF Champions League through domestic leagues or cups, or through their regional cup competitions.

June 2023: Competition Renamed

On 6 June 2023, it was announced that to coincide with the new format, the competition had been renamed back to CONCACAF Champions Cup.

2023: Scotiabank Title Sponsorship End

In 2023, Scotiabank ended its run as the title sponsor of the Champions League, which had started in 2014–15.

2023: CONCACAF Champions League Renamed

In 2023, the CONCACAF Champions League was renamed back to the CONCACAF Champions Cup, marking a return to the competition's original name.

2024: Expansion of Tournament Announced

In September, CONCACAF announced an expansion of the tournament to begin in 2024. The tournament will retain the all-knockout format used since 2018 but will now consist of five rounds and 27 teams participating.

2024: 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. In addition, the winning club qualifies for the FIFA Club World Cup, which includes additional prize money.