CONCACAF Champions Cup Bracket Confirmed for the Upcoming 2026 Tournament

With just under three months to go until the next edition of the CONCACAF Champions Cup, the governing body of North, Central American, and Caribbean football recently conducted the draw for the upcoming edition of the North American club championship, which will see five clubs make their debut. 

(Image Credit to the Canadian Premier League)

On Tuesday evening, CONCACAF conducted its draw for the 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup, the annual knockout-style tournament featuring the best clubs from each of the confederation’s domestic leagues. 

Heading into the draw, five teams - Mexico’s Deportivo Toluca CF, Jamaica’s Mount Pleasant FA (who are making their debut in this upcoming edition of the tournament), Costa Rica’s LD Alajuelense, Inter Miami and Seattle Sounders (both of the United States) - were automatically placed into the Round of 16. 

The remaining twenty-two teams would be drawn into the tournament’s first round. 

The first of the eleven matchups in the first round will see Mexico’s Pumas UNAM, who qualified by finishing in the top five of the Liga MX table, take on San Diego FC of the United States, who qualified for their first-ever CONCACAF Champions Cup by virtue of finishing first in MLS’ Western Conference. The winner of this match will play Deportivo Toluca CF in the last sixteen. 

The second matchup will see the United States’ LA Galaxy, who qualified for the tournament by winning the Leagues Cup’s third-place match, take on Panama’s Sporting San Miguelito, who qualified through the 2025 Central American Cup. The winner of this matchup will play Mount Pleasant FA in the round of sixteen. 

The third matchup drawn pits the Champions Cup holders Cruz Azul, who also finished in the top five of Liga MX, take on Canadian side Vancouver FC, who are making their debut in this edition of the tournament via their appearance in the 2025 Canadian Championship Final (as the Whitecaps already qualified for the tournament through MLS play, the Canadian Championship place passed down to them). 

The winner of this third matchup will play the winner of the fourth matchup in the round of sixteen, which sees Mexican side CF Monterrey, who qualified as the Liga MX Apertura runner-up, take on Guatemalan side CSD Xelajú M.C., who qualified as the runner-up in the 2025 Central American Cup. 

The fifth of eleven matchups will see LAFC, who qualified for the Champions Cup by virtue of the Vancouver Whitecaps making the MLS Cup Final, play Honduran side Real CD Espana, who qualified as a semi-finalist in the 2025 Central American Cup. The winner will play LD Alajuelense in the following round of the tournament. 

The sixth matchup will see American side Nashville SC, who qualified for the Champions Cup by winning the U.S Open Cup, take on Canadian side Atletico Ottawa, who are making their debut in this year’s edition of the Champions Cup by virtue of winning the Canadian Premier League’s North Star Shield. The winner of this sixth matchup will play Inter Miami in the round of sixteen. 

The seventh matchup will see Club América, who qualified for the tournament by winning one of the Liga MX’s two annual competitions, play Honduran side Club Olimpia Deportivo, who entered the tournament as a Central American Cup semi-finalist. 

The winner of the seventh matchup will play the winner of the eighth matchup in the last sixteen. This eighth first-round matchup will see the Philadelphia Union, who qualified for the tournament by virtue of winning the MLS Supporters Shield, take on the Trinidad and Tobago-based side Defence Force, who qualified for the tournament by winning the 2025 Caribbean Cup’s third-place match. 

The ninth matchup will see Tigres UANL, who qualified as a top-five team in Liga MX play, take on Canadian side Forge FC, who qualified for the tournament by virtue of winning the 2025 CPL Shield. 

The winner of this ninth first-round matchup will take on the winner of the tenth matchup in the last sixteen. This tenth matchup will see American side FC Cincinnati, who qualified for the tournament as one of the best-performing sides in the 2025 MLS season, take on O&M FC of the Dominican Republic, who qualified as the 2025 Caribbean Cup finalists. 

The eleventh and final matchup drawn for the first round of the 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup will see the Vancouver Whitecaps, who qualified as one of the best-performing clubs in MLS play last season, take on Costa Rican side CS Cartaginés, who qualified as a Central American Cup play-in winner. The winner of this matchup will play the Seattle Sounders in the last sixteen. 

The 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup is set to kick off with the opening legs of the first round, which are set to begin on February 3rd, 2026. 

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Article written by Noah Guttman

© Noah Guttman