Champions Cup: Concacaf announces format for its new club tournament

The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) announced that starting in 2024, the CONCACAF Champions Cup will replace the CONCACAF Champions League as the confederation's main continental club competition and will have a new 51-match format.

According to the sports association, the new structure provides an expanded classification path of 27 clubs. Of these, 22 will start playing in the first round, and five teams will have a direct pass to the round of 16, which will result from the winners of the new Caribbean Cup, the new Central American Cup and the expanded Leagues Cup between MLS (Major League Soccer) and Liga MX (Mexican League) clubs.

The clubs will participate in four stages with round-robin matches, and the final, which will crown the region's champion, will be played in a single game on a weekend date.

"The Concacaf Champions Cup will take continental club football in our region to the next level. It will elevate leagues and clubs across Concacaf and the new name for the competition, alongside this vibrant new brand, allows us to celebrate our rich history while looking ahead to a great future of international club football in North America, Central America, and the Caribbean," said the Concacaf president and FIFA vice-president, Victor Montagliani.

Another update is that as of 2024, the Champions Cup winner's prize money will be increased fivefold in relation to the Champions League, as the champion will now receive more than $5 million in financial distributions and prize money.