History of CONCACAF Champions Cup in Timeline

The CONCACAF Champions Cup is an annual international club football competition organized by CONCACAF, featuring top clubs from 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 automatically earns a spot in the FIFA Club World Cup and the FIFA Intercontinental Cup, adding further incentive and prestige to the competition.

1962: Inaugural edition

In 1962, the CONCACAF Champions Cup tournament held its inaugural edition.

1964: Edition not held

In 1964, the CONCACAF Champions Cup tournament was not held.

1965: Edition not held

In 1965, the CONCACAF Champions Cup tournament was not held.

1966: Edition not held

In 1966, the CONCACAF Champions Cup tournament was not held.

1971: Expansion of the tournament

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

1981: Combination of North and Central American Zones

From 1981, the North and Central American zones were combined, meaning that the winner of the joint zone would face the winner of the Caribbean zone in the final of the CONCACAF Champions Cup.

1993: Format with three clubs from North/Central America

From 1993 to 1996, the CONCACAF Champions Cup featured three clubs from the North/Central American zone and one club from the Caribbean zone in the final round, which was held in a central location.

1996: Format with three clubs from North/Central America

From 1993 to 1996, the CONCACAF Champions Cup featured three clubs from the North/Central American zone and one club from the Caribbean zone in the final round, which was held in a central location.

2001: Edition not held

In 2001, the CONCACAF Champions Cup tournament was not held.

2002: Home-and-away format

In 2002, the eight-team knockout CONCACAF Champions Cup switched to a home-and-away format after the initial four editions were hosted in a central location with single leg ties.

2003: 16-team tournament

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

2005: Entry to FIFA Club World Cup for champion

Since 2005, the champion of the CONCACAF Champions Cup has gained entry into the FIFA Club World Cup.

2006: CONCACAF Committee decision

At their November 2006 meeting, the CONCACAF Executive Committee decided to "act upon" a proposal at their next meeting by the CONCACAF Secretariat to develop the CONCACAF Champions' Cup into a larger "Champions League" style event.

November 2007: CONCACAF Executive Committee report

In November 2007, the CONCACAF Executive Committee reported some of the details regarding the development of the CONCACAF Champions' Cup into a larger "Champions League" style event.

2007: End of the UNCAF Interclub Cup

In 2007, the UNCAF Interclub Cup was ended after, as Central American clubs would qualify directly to the Champions League.

April 2008: Last eight-team Champions' Cup format

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

August 2008: Start of Expanded 24-Team Champions League Tournament

In August 2008, the newly expanded 24-team Champions League tournament commenced, marking a significant change in the competition's structure.

2008: Beginning of the Champions League era

From 2008, the CONCACAF Champions League era began, lasting until 2023.

2008: Rebranding to CONCACAF Champions League

In 2008, the CONCACAF Champions Cup was rebranded as the CONCACAF Champions League, becoming the premier club competition for North America, Central America, and the Caribbean.

2008: Elimination of the group stage

Since the re-branding of the competition to the CONCACAF Champions League in 2008, the group stage was eliminated on January 23, 2017.

May 2009: Conclusion of expanded 24-team Champions League tournament

In May 2009, the expanded 24-team Champions League tournament concluded, marking a change in the competition's structure.

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: New format announcement

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.

2012: Previous Format with Four Groups of Four

Prior to the 2012 season, the competition had four groups of four teams, each including one Mexican team and one U.S. team. A preliminary round reduced the number of teams from 24 to 16 before the group stage.

2014: Scotiabank as title sponsor

From 2014, Scotiabank was a 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 in each season from 2009–10 through 2014–15.

April 2015: Club América breaks attendance record

On 8 April 2015, Mexican side Club América broke the all time CONCACAF Champions League match attendance record when 66,208 spectators gathered at the Estadio Azteca.

December 2016: Talks of a possible new format

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

January 2017: Confirmation of New 16-Team Format

On January 23, 2017, CONCACAF confirmed the new 16-team format beginning with the 2018 edition, eliminating the group stage.

2017: Introduction of CONCACAF League

In 2017, the CONCACAF League, a new secondary tournament, was introduced to be played from August to December, with the winner qualifying for the following year's Champions League.

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.

2018: Introduction of Current Trophy Design

In 2018, the current trophy design for the CONCACAF Champions Cup was introduced.

2018: Implementation of new 16-team format

In 2018, the new 16-team format was implemented, eliminating the group stage.

2018: Prior group stage format

Prior to 2018, the tournament featured a group stage held from August to October, followed by a knockout phase from March to May. The group stage involved 24 teams in eight groups, with restrictions on teams from the United States and Mexico being drawn together.

2018: Retaining the all-knockout format

The all-knockout format used since 2018 will be retained after the CONCACAF announcement of expansion of the tournament to begin in 2024.

2019: Elimination of Away Goals Rule in Final Round

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

2019: Expansion of CONCACAF League for Champions League Qualification

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

February 2021: Announcement of Major Overhaul

In February 2021, CONCACAF announced a major overhaul of the tournament which would have included 50 teams and a regional group stage.

May 2022: Seattle Sounders FC attendance record

On 4 May 2022, Seattle Sounders FC surpassed Club America's attendance record. The attendance was 68,741 at Lumen Field against Pumas UNAM in the final.

2022: CONCACAF League to Cease

In September 2021, it was announced that the CONCACAF League would cease in 2022 with the new tournament format.

June 2023: Renamed back to CONCACAF Champions Cup

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

2023: End of the Champions League era

From 2008–2023, under the Champions League era, only clubs from Mexico, United States and Canada played in the finals, with the Mexican clubs winning 14 of the 15 titles contested and one title won by a club from the United States.

2023: End of Scotiabank title sponsorship

From 2014–15 until 2023, Scotiabank was a title sponsor of the Champions League.

2024: Pachuca defeats Columbus Crew in the final

In 2024, Pachuca defeated Columbus Crew in the final game of the competition, becoming the current champions.

2024: Expansion of Tournament

In September 2021, 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 Increase and FIFA Club World Cup Qualification

Starting with the 2024 edition of the competition, the winning club will receive over US$5,000,000 in prize money and qualifies for the FIFA Club World Cup.