The CONCACAF Champions League, originally known as the CONCACAF Champions' Cup, is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) since 1962 for the top football clubs in North America. It is the most prestigious club competition in North American football. The competition was initially created as a possible measure to enter the South American Copa Libertadores, a competition organized by CONMEBOL, as well as the European/South American Cup, a friendly competition first disputed in 1960 by the winners of UEFA's European Cup and the Copa Libertadores
 The current CONCACAF Champions League official logo, in use since 2008 |
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| Founded | 1962 (2008 in its current format) |
|---|---|
| Region | North America (CONCACAF) |
| Number of teams | 24 |
| Current champions |  Monterrey (3rd title) |
| Most successful club(s) | Cruz Azul América (5 titles each) |
| Website | Official website |
 2013–14 CONCACAF Champions League |
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The CONCACAF Champions League, originally known as the CONCACAF Champions' Cup, is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) since 1962 for the top football clubs in North America. It is the most prestigious club competition in North American football. The competition was initially created as a possible measure to enter the South American Copa Libertadores, a competition organized by CONMEBOL, as well as the European/South American Cup, a friendly competition first disputed in 1960 by the winners of UEFA's European Cup and the Copa Libertadores
Prior to 2008, the tournament was officially called the "CONCACAF Champions' Cup", but was usually referred to simply as the "Champions' Cup". The competition has had several different formats over its lifetime. From 1962 until 1995, the finalists, or clubs participating in a final round, would be decided by clubs who qualify via two separate brackets: a Caribbean Island qualifier and a Northern/Central American qualification competition. Initially, only the champions of the North American leagues participated. In 1971, the runners-up of a few North American leagues began to join and the tournament began to be expanded, incorporating round-robin group phases and more teams. After the creation of the United States' Major League Soccer, the competition became a straight knockout competition from 1997 until it was revamped into the current tournament in 2008.
The tournament consists of several stages. In the present format, it begins in late-July with a group stage, in which there are eight groups of three teams each. The eight group winners enter the final knockout phase, which culminates with the final matches in May. The winner of the CONCACAF Champions League qualifies for the FIFA Club World Cup. Unlike its European and South American counterparts, the CONCACAF Champions League does not accolade its last winners with an automatic entry into the next edition.[citation needed]
Mexican sides Cruz Azul and América are the most successful club in the competition's history, having won the tournament five times each. Mexican clubs have accumulated the highest number of victories, with 29 wins. The title has been won by 28 different clubs, 17 of which have won the title more than once. The trophy was successfully defended four times. The second most successful league has been Costa Rica's Primera División with six titles in total. The reigning champions of the competition are Monterrey, after beating Santos Laguna 4–2 on aggregate.
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History[edit]
Champions' Cup era (1962–2008)[edit]
The competition's former format, a knockout tournament called the Champions' Cup, was played under a variety of formats. The last format, used from 2004 to 2008, had eight teams competing – four from the North American zone (two from Mexico, two from the United States/Canada), three from the Central American zone, and one from the Caribbean zone. Since 2005, the champion of the competition also gained entry into the FIFA Club World Cup, giving clubs an added incentive for a strong participation and greater interest from fans. Also, the Champions' Cup Runner-up would be one of the three CONCACAF invitees to the Copa Sudamericana.
Champions League era (2008–present)[edit]
The CONCACAF Executive Committee at their 2006 November meeting 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. The CONCACAF Executive Committee reported on November 14, 2007 some of the details.[1] The previous Champions' Cup format was used as planned in the Spring of 2008. Then, a newly expanded Champions League tournament was conducted starting in August 2008 and concluding in May 2009. The setup involves 24 teams initially and features a Preliminary Round contested by some of the teams to reduce the field to 16 teams, which are separated into 4 groups of four teams.[1][2] After the Group Stage, the Championship Round are held from the Quarterfinal Round onward.
Qualifying[edit]
The current format features 24 teams in total.
From the North American Zone:
- 4 clubs from
Mexico - 4 clubs from the
United States - 1 club from
Canada
From the Central American Zone:
- 2 clubs from
Costa Rica - 2 clubs from
El Salvador - 2 clubs from
Guatemala - 2 clubs from
Honduras - 2 clubs from
Panama - 1 club from
Nicaragua - 1 club from
Belize
From the Caribbean Zone:
- 3 clubs, qualifying via the CFU Club Championship.[3]
The four teams qualifying from the United States are the two MLS Cup finalists, the winner of the MLS Supporters' Shield (awarded to the team with the best regular season record), and the winner of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Should the same team qualify multiple times and/or should a Canadian team occupy one or more of the MLS qualifying places, then the American MLS team(s) with the best regular season records not otherwise qualified will be entered.
The team qualifying from Canada is the winner of the Amway Canadian Championship. Despite the inclusion of Canadian teams in MLS, Canadian sides can not qualify for the CONCACAF Champions League through MLS; therefore, it is possible for a Canadian-based MLS team to win either the MLS Cup or the Supporters' Shield and still not advance to play in the following year's Champions League.
Stadium standards[edit]
If a club fails to meet the standards for its home stadium (all-seater stadium), this club must find a suitable stadium in its own country. If said club fails to provide the adequate facilities, it will run the risk of being replaced.[4]
- Central America: If one or more of the twelve Central American clubs is precluded, it will be supplanted by a club from the best Central American league, based on results from the current Champions League.
- Caribbean: If any Caribbean club is precluded, it will be supplanted by the club who finished 4th in the CFU Club Championship.
Format[edit]
New for the 2012-13 format, all 24 teams in the event will be drawn straight into the group stage. Each of the eight groups will have three teams. United States and Mexican sides cannot be drawn into the same group. Each group winner will then advance to the quarterfinals, which proceed unchanged from previous versions of the event.
Finals[edit]
| Year | CONCACAF Champions Cup era | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | Score | Runner-up | |
| 1962 Details |
Guadalajara  |
1 – 0 / 5 – 0 Aggregate 6 – 0 |
 Comunicaciones |
| 1963 Details |
Haïtien  |
(2) | Guadalajara |
| 1967 Details |
Alianza  |
1 – 2 / 3 – 0 Aggregate 4 – 2 |
 Jong Colombia |
| 1968 Details |
Toluca |
(2) | |
| 1969 Details |
Cruz Azul |
0 – 0 / 1 – 0 Aggregate 1 – 0 |
Comunicaciones |
| 1970 Details |
Cruz Azul |
(2) | |
| 1971 Details |
Cruz Azul |
(1) |  Alajuelense |
| 1972 Details |
Olimpia  |
0 – 0 / 2 – 0 Aggregate 2 – 0 |
 Robinhood |
| 1973 Details |
Transvaal |
(2) | |
| 1974 Details |
Municipal |
2 – 1 / 2 – 1 Aggregate 4 – 2 |
Transvaal |
| 1975 Details |
Atlético Español |
2 – 0 / 1 – 1 Aggregate 3 – 1 |
 Transvaal |
| 1976 Details |
Águila |
6 – 1 / 2 – 1 Aggregate 8 – 2 |
Robinhood |
| 1977 Details |
América |
1 – 0 / 0 – 0 Aggregate 1 – 0 |
Robinhood |
| 1978 Details |
Universidad de Guadalajara Comunicaciones Defence Force  |
(3) | |
| 1979 Details |
FAS |
1 – 0 / 8 – 0 Aggregate 9 – 0 |
Jong Colombia |
| 1980 Details |
UNAM |
(1) | Universidad |
| 1981 Details |
Transvaal |
1 – 0 / 1 – 1 Aggregate 2 – 1 |
Atlético Marte |
| 1982 Details |
UNAM |
0 – 0 / 3 – 2 Aggregate 3 – 2 |
Robinhood |
| 1983 Details |
Atlante |
1 – 1 / 5 – 0 Aggregate 6 – 1 |
Robinhood |
| 1984 Details |
Violette  |
(2) | |
| 1985 Details |
Defence Force |
2 – 0 / 0 – 1 Aggregate 2 – 1 |
Olimpia |
| 1986 Details |
Alajuelense |
4 – 1 / 1 – 1 Aggregate 5 – 2 |
Transvaal |
| 1987 Details |
América |
1 – 1 / 2 – 0 Aggregate 3 – 1 |
Defence Force |
| 1988 Details |
Olimpia |
2 – 0 / 2 – 0 Aggregate 4 – 0 |
Defence Force |
| 1989 Details |
UNAM |
1 – 1 / 3 – 1 Aggregate 4 – 2 |
 FC Pinar del Río |
| 1990 Details |
América |
2 – 2 / 6 – 0 Aggregate 8 – 2 |
FC Pinar del Río |
| 1991 Details |
Puebla |
3 – 1 / 1 – 1 Aggregate 4 – 2 |
Police FC |
| 1992 Details |
América |
1 – 0 | Alajuelense |
| 1993 Details |
Saprissa |
(1) | León |
| 1994 Details |
Cartaginés |
3 – 2 | Atlante |
| 1995 Details |
Saprissa |
(1) | Municipal |
| 1996 Details |
Cruz Azul |
(1) | Necaxa |
| 1997 Details |
Cruz Azul |
5 – 3 |  Los Angeles Galaxy |
| 1998 Details |
D.C. United |
1 – 0 | Toluca |
| 1999 Details |
Necaxa |
2 – 1 | Alajuelense |
| 2000 Details |
Los Angeles Galaxy |
3 – 2 | Olimpia |
| 2002 Details |
Pachuca |
1 – 0 | Monarcas Morelia |
| 2003 Details |
Toluca |
3 – 3 / 2 – 1 Aggregate 5 – 4 |
Monarcas Morelia |
| 2004 Details |
Alajuelense |
1 – 1 / 4 – 0 Aggregate 5 – 1 |
Saprissa |
| 2005 Details |
Saprissa |
2 – 0 / 1 – 2 Aggregate 3 – 2 |
UNAM |
| 2006 Details |
América |
0 – 0 / 2 – 1 Aggregate 2 – 1 |
Toluca |
| 2007 Details |
Pachuca |
2 – 2 / 0 – 0 Aggregate 2 – 2 7–6p |
Guadalajara |
| 2008 Details |
Pachuca |
1 – 1 / 2 – 1 Aggregate 3 – 2 |
Saprissa |
| Season | CONCACAF Champions League era | ||
| Winner | Score | Runner-up | |
| 2008-09 | Atlante |
2 – 0 / 0 – 0 Aggregate 2 – 0 |
Cruz Azul |
| 2009-10 | Pachuca |
1 – 2 / 1 – 0 Aggregate 2 – 2 |
Cruz Azul |
| 2010-11 | Monterrey |
2 – 2 / 1 – 0 Aggregate 3 – 2 |
Real Salt Lake |
| 2011-12 | Monterrey |
2 – 0 / 1 – 2 Aggregate 3 – 2 |
Santos Laguna |
| 2012-13 | Monterrey |
0 – 0 / 4 – 2 Aggregate 4 – 2 |
Santos Laguna |
| 2013-14 | Qualification in progress | ||
1 No final match was held; the championship was decided by a final round.
2 Championship won due to withdrawal and/or disqualification of all other teams.
3 Universidad de Guadalajara, Comunicaciones and Defence Force were all declared joint winners after the final tournament was cancelled due to administrative problems and disagreements on match dates.
Records and statistics[edit]
Top-ten clubs[edit]
| Rank | Team | Wins | Runners-up | Years won | Years runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cruz Azul |
5 | 2 | 1969, 1970, 1971, 1996, 1997 | 2009, 2010 |
| 2 | América |
5 | 0 | 1977, 1987, 1990, 1992, 2006 | |
| 3 | Pachuca |
4 | 0 | 2002, 2007, 2008, 2010 | |
| 4 | Saprissa |
3 | 2 | 1993, 1995, 2005 | 2004, 2008 |
| 5 | UNAM |
3 | 1 | 1980, 1982, 1989 | 2005 |
| 6 | Monterrey |
3 | 0 | 2011, 2012, 2013 | |
| 8 | Transvaal |
2 | 3 | 1973, 1981 | 1974, 1975, 1986 |
| Alajuelense |
2 | 3 | 1986, 2004 | 1971, 1992, 1999 | |
| 9 | Olimpia |
2 | 2 | 1972, 1988 | 1985, 2000 |
| Toluca |
2 | 2 | 1968, 2003 | 1998, 2006 | |
| Defence Force |
2 | 2 | 1978, 1985 | 1987, 1988 | |
| 10 | Atlante |
2 | 1 | 1983, 2009 | 1994 |
Top-ten countries[edit]
Top countries (Champions League era)[edit]
| Rank | Country | Winner | Runner -up |
Semi- finalist |
Winners | Runners-up | Semi-finalists |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mexico |
5 | 4 | 7 | Monterrey (2011, 2012, 2013), Pachuca (2010), Atlante (2009) |
Cruz Azul (2009, 2010) Santos Laguna (2012, 2013) |
Santos Laguna (2009), UNAM (2010, 2012), Cruz Azul (2011), Toluca (2010) |
| 2 | United States |
0 | 1 | 2 | Real Salt Lake (2011) | Los Angeles Galaxy (2013), Seattle Sounders FC (2013) | |
| 3 |  Canada |
0 | 0 | 1 | Toronto FC (2012) | ||
| Costa Rica |
0 | 0 | 1 | Saprissa (2011) | |||
 Puerto Rico |
0 | 0 | 1 | Puerto Rico Islanders (2009) |
Results by league (Champions League era)[edit]
Results listed in the Wins-Losses-Draws format
| CCL Season | Liga MX | MLS (US & Can) |
Costa Rica | Honduras | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-09 | 23-12-10 | 2-10-6 | 3-3-2 | 7-5-4 | 5-2-2 |
| 2009-10 | 30-8-10 | 7-10-9 | 2-5-3 | 9-9-0 | 0-1-1 |
| 2010-11 | 25-10-6 | 16-14-8 | 6-4-2 | 7-9-2 | 3-2-2 |
| 2011-12 | 26-14-6 | 21-16-7 | 7-6-1 | 3-11-2 | 5-3-3 |
| 2012-13 | 19-4-7 | 16-8-6 | 5-2-3 | 2-3-3 | 2-2-0 |
| Totals | 123-48-39 | 62-58-36 | 23-20-11 | 28-37-11 | 15-10-7 |
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b [1]
- ^ "We Are the Champions (League)". The Washington Post.
- ^ "Qualifying Format Unveiled for 2008–09 CONCACAF Champions League". CONCACAF Official site. 2008-05-14. Retrieved 2008-07-02.
- ^ "CONCACAF Executive Committee tightens stadium standards for next year's Champions League". CONCACAF Official site. 2008-11-07. Retrieved 2008-11-12.
External links[edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: CONCACAF Champions League |
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