Concacaf News – Inside World Football

MLS quartet take challenge to Liga MX powerhouses in Champions Cup quarter-finals

Paul Nicholson — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 04:35:24 +0000

March 17 – The quarter finals of the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup have become an MLS vs Liga MX battleground, with both leagues qualifying four teams.

In an all MLS tie Inter Miami meet Los Angeles FC, while in an all Liga MX bout, six times winners Cruz Azul will meet seven times winners Club America.

Liga MX clubs have long held a grip on the Champions Cup having won 15 of the last 16 editions (it was previously called the Concacaf Champions League).

CONCACAF clears LAFC’s Palencia of ‘hate speech’ towards Colorado’s Awaziem

Andy Elliott — Thu, 06 Mar 2025 09:33:27 +0000

March 6 – CONCACAF has cleared LAFC defender Sergi Palencia of using discriminatory language towards Colorado Rapids defender Chidozie Awaziem in last month’s CONCACAF Champions Cup match.

The game was entering its final minutes with LAFC leading 1-0 when the game was stopped after Awaziem accused Palencia of using ‘hate speech’ towards him.

Afterwards, Colorado coach Chris Armas said Awaziem was shaken after he claimed to have been called a derogatory term.

Fox’s Tubi streaming service secures live rights for Concacaf Champions Cup games

Paul Nicholson — Tue, 04 Feb 2025 04:44:56 +0000

February 4 – Streaming service Tubi, owned by Fox Corporation, is to become the exclusive home for the Concacaf Champions Cup in Mexico.

Beginning on with tonight’s matches, games will be streamed live and for free on Tubi via the FOX Deportes en Tubi Channel.
The Concacaf Champions Cup is the region’s premier club competition, with the region’s top 27 teams competing for the title. The winner secures a place in the FIFA Club World Cup and FIFA Intercontinental Cup.

Concacaf launches tender for betting sponsor

Paul Nicholson — Fri, 10 Jan 2025 06:20:08 +0000

January 10 – Betting in football is a fact of life and the cost of doing business. In the club game, sponsorship is attached to almost anything that is within eyesight, however, the international game has been relatively immune until recently when both FIFA and UEFA agreed spnosrships with Betano and Bet365.

Now Concacaf, the hosts of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, is looking for a piece of the action with and have launched an invitation process for interested parties to submit offers to become the official betting partner/sponsor of the Confederation’s senior women’s and men’s national team and club competitions that will take place from 2025-2028.

The post Concacaf launches tender for betting sponsor appeared first on Inside World Football.

Concacaf readies for Champions Cup 2025 draw

Paul Nicholson — Tue, 10 Dec 2024 03:22:34 +0000

December 10 – Concacaf will hold the draw for Round One of its premier club competition, the Champions Cup, in Miami today. The final 27 teams have been pre-seeded based on the Concacaf club rankings.

The 60th edition of the Concacaf Champions Cup sees a record nine MLS teams in the final 27, compared to six from Mexico’s Liga MX. Qualified teams include seven-time Concacaf champion Club América (MEX), the three winners of the Confederation’s regional cup competitions,

The post Concacaf readies for Champions Cup 2025 draw appeared first on Inside World Football.

Concacaf names 14 stadiums in 11 cities for 2025 Gold Cup

Paul Nicholson — Thu, 26 Sep 2024 13:14:19 +0000

September 26 – Concacaf has unveiled 14 stadiums for the 2025 Gold Cup which will be played next June predominantly on the West coast and in Texas. Five stadiums that will be used at the 2026 World Cup will also host the Gold Cup in 2025.

That includes the Gold Cup taking a third trip to Canada with BC Place, in Vancouver, hosting for the first time. Vancouver was a late but successful entrant into the 2026 World Cup host bidding.

Balance of club power shifts towards Costa Rica as 3 clubs into last 8 of Central American Cup

Paul Nicholson — Mon, 02 Sep 2024 09:25:38 +0000

September 2 – Costa Rica’s men’s national may have been knocked off their dominance of the Central American region by Panama, but their clubs have taken a grip on the 2024 Concacaf Central America Cup.

All three Costa Rican sides – CS Herediano, LD Alajuelense and Deportivo Saprissa – topped their groups and were seeded into the quarter finals meaning that none could meet each other before the semi-final stage.

That leaves the very real prospect of three teams in the quarter finals of the Central American Cup as they chase not just regional bragging rights but a spot in Concacaf’s 2025 Champions Cup.

Concacaf creates bridge to younger audiences with Fortnight and GGTECH hook-up

Paul Nicholson — Tue, 27 Aug 2024 09:01:38 +0000

August 27 – Concacaf has launched itself into the youth gaming market in partnership with gaming and esports specialists GGTECH, with the first project being a football-specific Fortnite map, ‘Concacaf Kick-Off Stadium’.

The new initiative was launched at video game convention where Concacaf hosted an interactive Concacaf Kick-Off branded booth including a console arena, streaming cabin, and a photo opportunity with the Champions’ trophies of Concacaf’s premier competitions.

The aim of the platform,

Saudi’s fledgling airline Riyadh Air lands Concacaf deal as PIF partnership takes-off

Paul Nicholson — Mon, 19 Aug 2024 08:43:45 +0000

August 19 – More detail of the Concacaf deal with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) is emerging with new Saudi airline Riyadh Air, which will begin operations in 2025, taking over from Qatar Airways as the confederation’s official airline partner.

The agreement will Riyadh Air branding across all of the Confederation’s national and club competitions, including the Gold Cup and Nations League where Qatar Airways logo was locked up with the event logo.

Concacaf agrees multi-year partnership with Saudi Arabia’s PIF

Paul Nicholson — Fri, 16 Aug 2024 12:53:46 +0000

August 16 – Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), owner of Premier League Newcastle United and four of the leading clubs in the Saudi Pro League, has agreed a multi-year sponsorship with Concacaf.

No value was given for the partnership that will support both Concacaf’s major tournaments and the confederation “in its efforts to increase the number of official youth championships it delivers in the coming years.”

Front and centre of the increase in youth competitions is the U17 championships which now have to take place yearly in order to qualify nations for FIFA’s now annual U17 World Cup.

Concacaf signs first Central America-based sponsor for its regional club competition

Paul Nicholson — Wed, 07 Aug 2024 07:22:25 +0000

August 6 – Concacaf has signed a three-year partnership with Honduran snack company Snacks Yummies, and its Taqueritos brand, which becomes an official sponsor of the Concacaf Central American Cup.

The Central American Cup crowns Central America’s club champion and qualifies six clubs for the Concacaf Champions Cup.
The agreement begins with the 2024 edition and designates Taqueritos as the Official Snack Sponsor for the 2024, 2025, and 2026 editions.

“We are excited to be part of the Central American Cup alongside Concacaf;

Comical: Canadian Premier League meets Marvel for series of Super Hero days

Paul Nicholson — Sun, 09 Jun 2024 00:47:33 +0000

June 9 – Comic-turned-TV brand Marvel is teaming up with the Canadian Super League (CPL) for a series of Marvel Super Hero Days during the 2024 regular season.

Each CPL club will host its own Marvel Super Hero Day with the first 1,000 fans at each match receiving a custom Marvel comic poster featuring the home club.

“At the CPL, we are no stranger to the different shapes a superhero can take,

Concacaf Champions Cup reaches semi-final stages with Mexican clubs again in control

Paul Nicholson — Tue, 16 Apr 2024 11:40:50 +0000

April 16 – The revamped Concacaf Champions Cup (formerly the Champions League) has reached the semi-finals stage with Mexican clubs again dominating the closing rounds of the confederation’s leading club competition.

Mexico’s CF Monterrey, CF Pachuca, and Club America are all through to the semi-finals along with 2023 MLS champions Columbus Crew.

The semi-finals, played over home and away legs, will take place on April 23 and 24 (first legs) and April 30 and May 1 (second legs) and will see Monterrey play Columbus Crew and Pachuca play Club America.

Concacaf debuts on WhatsApp Channels platform with 1.6m users in first month

Paul Nicholson — Thu, 12 Oct 2023 07:56:37 +0000

October 12 – Concacaf has upped its digital engagement game by becoming an early adopter of the new WhatsApp Channels service recently launched by Meta, announcing itself as one of the first major sports organisations to communicate directly to fans on WhatsApp.

After just a month on the platform Concacaf is claiming 1.6 million users.

The WhatsApp ‘Channels’ function acts as a one-way broadcast tool used to communicate with followers en masse,

Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago mount CNL challenge as October fixtures released

Paul Nicholson — Mon, 25 Sep 2023 09:34:29 +0000

September 25 – Concacaf has released the match schedule for the October rounds of group play in its Nations League that will decide four qualifiers for the quarter finals of the competition and ultimately the six qualifiers for next summer’s Conmebol Copa America USA.

After the first two rounds in League A, Trinidad and Tobago are the surprise leaders of Group A with two wins and two points ahead of 2023 Gold Cup finalists Panama.

Concacaf unveils draw for Central America Cup quarter-finals

Paul Nicholson — Mon, 04 Sep 2023 05:48:52 +0000

September 4 – Concacaf has released the quarter final match-ups for the 2023 Concacaf Central American Cup to be September 26-28 (first legs) and October 3-5 (second legs).

The eight clubs in the inaugural Central American Cup are also competing for six slots in the renamed 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup (previously the Concacaf Champions League).

Costa Rican clubs dominate the quarterfinals with four teams having made it to the knock-out stage,