The 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup will feature a new bracket and schedule as teams compete for the continental title. Lionel Messi's team has been eliminated from the tournament.
Key points
2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup features a new bracket system
Lionel Messi's team has been eliminated from the tournament
Schedule for the tournament has been released
Teams qualified for the tournament are listed
Match results will be updated throughout the tournament
Each continent has its own football championship tournament, and North America is no different as the 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup gets set to determine this year's title-winning club.
This competition has been traditionally dominated by Liga MX clubs, but Lionel Messi and Inter Miami were downed by their own league while attempting to buck that trend. After winning the 2025 MLS Cup title, the first in club history, the Herons entered this year's Champions Cup with renewed hope and promise, but were shattered after being eliminated in the early rounds.
MLS teams have secured just one title in the last 24 years of the competition, with the Seattle Sounders triumphing in 2022.
Q&A
What is the format of the 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup?
The 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup will follow a new format that includes a bracket system for the tournament.
When does the 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup start?
The schedule for the 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup has been released, detailing the start dates for the matches.
Which teams have qualified for the 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup?
A list of teams that have qualified for the 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup is available, highlighting the clubs competing for the title.
What were the results of the matches in the 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup?
The results of the matches in the 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup will be updated as the tournament progresses.
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The Sporting News brings you a complete look at how the CONCACAF Champions Cup works, when games will be played, and who will match up against one another in this year's competition.
The CONCACAF Champions Cup is formatted as a full bracket.
The five seeded teams (MLS Cup winner, Liga MX champions, Leagues Cup winner, Central American Cup winner, and Caribbean Cup winner) are given a bye through to the Round of 16, while the rest of the 27-team field starts in Round One.
From the start, the matchups are determined by a pre-tournament draw, with CONCACAF ranking used to determine the pots.
All rounds prior to the final are two-legged, meaning aggregate score is used to decide the qualifier to the next round. Away goals are used as the tiebreaker, with extra time and penalties required only if a winner still cannot be determined.
In fact, Messi and Inter Miami fell victim to that very rule, eliminated by Nashville SC on the away goals tiebreaker, having drawn 0-0 on the road before a 1-1 draw at home ushered them out.
The CONCACAF Champions Cup winner qualifies for both that year's FIFA Intercontinental Cup and the next FIFA Club World Cup.
2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup schedule
The matchups for the 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup were set by the draw on December 9, 2025.
Teams entering in the Round of 16 were ranked by CONCACAF and slotted into the bracket automatically before the draw. The rest of the 22 participants were ranked by CONCACAF coefficient and drawn into first-round matchups against one another.
All stages prior to the final will be contested across two legs, while the final will be a single match. It is not yet determined where the final will take place, either hosted by one of the participants or contested at a neutral venue.
* Toluca secured passage to the CONCACAF Champions Cup Round of 16 by having a higher aggregate table standing than 2024/25 Apertura champions Club America.
** LAFC secured CONCACAF Champions Cup participation as the next-highest MLS finisher yet to qualify due to 2025 League Cup runners-up Inter Miami having already qualified via their 2025 MLS Cup title.
*** Vancouver FC secured CONCACAF Champions Cup participation as Canadian Championship winners Vancouver Whitecaps had already qualified via MLS table standing, which takes precedent.
2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup fixtures, results
All times Eastern. Higher seeded team hosts the second leg in each matchup.
* Inter Miami played their home Round of 16 home match at their Ft. Lauderdale stadium, with their new Freedom Park venue in Miami not set to open until April 4.
Quarterfinals
First leg
Date
Time (ET)
Match
Location
Tue, Apr. 7
8 p.m.
Q3: Nashville SC 0-0 Club America
Nashville, TN
Tue, Apr. 7
10 p.m.
Q2: LAFC 3-0 Cruz Azul
Los Angeles, CA
Wed, Apr. 8
9 p.m.
Q4: Tigres 2-0 Seattle Sounders
Monterrey, MEX
Wed, Apr. 8
11 p.m.
Q1: Toluca 4-2 LA Galaxy
Toluca, MEX
Second leg
Date
Time (ET)
Match
Location
Tue, Apr. 14
9 p.m.
Q2: Cruz Azul1-1 LAFC
Mexico City, MEX
Tue, Apr. 14
11:30 p.m.
Q3: Club America0-1 Nashville SC
Mexico City, MEX
Wed, Apr. 15
9 p.m.
Q1: LA Galaxy0-3 Toluca
Carson, CA
Wed, Apr. 15
11:30 p.m.
Q4: Seattle Sounders3-1 Tigres
Seattle, WA
Semifinals
First leg
Date
Time (ET)
Match
Location
Tue, Apr. 28
9:30 p.m.
S2: Nashville SC 0-1 Tigres
Nashville, TN
Wed, Apr. 29
10:30 p.m.
S1: LAFC 2-1 Toluca
Los Angeles, CA
Second leg
Date
Time (ET)
Match
Location
Tue, May 5
9:30 p.m.
S2: Tigres 1-0Nashville SC
Monterrey, MEX
Wed, May 6
9:30 p.m.
S1: Toluca 4-0LAFC
Mexico City, MEX
Final
The final is hosted by the higher-performing side through the 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup.
The two qualifying participants are placed in a de facto table, with three points for each win in the competition and one point for a draw, with the usual tiebreakers of goal differential and goals scored.
For example, in 2025, Cruz Azul hosted the final as their record of three wins and three draws gave them 12 points, while Vancouver Whitecaps had secured 10 points via two wins and four draws.
