CONCACAF Champions League rebranding, expanding tournament
The CONCACAF Champions League is switching things up.
Two days after Mexico's León was crowned the best club in North and Central America and the Caribbean, soccer's governing body in the region announced Tuesday the rebranding of its top club competition, which will be known as the CONCACAF Champions Cup from 2024 on.
The annual tournament will also expand from 18 to 27 teams. But the biggest news might be the five-fold increase in prize money for winning it. Following Sunday's triumph, León received about $1 million. The purse will grow to more than $5 million for whatever club hoists the trophy starting next year. The winner will still directly qualify for the annual FIFA Club World Cup, which is expected to grow to 32 teams (up from seven) beginning in 2025.
In a news release, CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani said that the Champions Cup "will take continental club football in our region to the next level." Montagliani, who is also a FIFA VP, added that the revamped format "will deliver more of those big rivalry matchups that we know footballers want to play in and that fans want to see."
Six teams from Mexico's Liga MX will automatically qualify for the 2024 Champions Cup. At least five will come from MLS. North America's top two circuits also can send additional representatives via the U.S. Open Cup, Canadian Championship and the new Leagues Cup – a World Cup style event that kicks off next month and includes all 47 MLS and Liga MX sides. The rest of the field will be composed of the best teams from the Caribbean, Central America, and the Canadian Premier League.
"Champions Cup" was the original name of the region's premier club tournament, which CONCACAF launched in 1962. It was expanded and renamed "Champions League" 15 years ago – an odd choice that invited unfavorable comparisons given that the most competitive and popular international club tourney, Europe's Champions League, was already a long-established and beloved global brand. The winner of Saturday's UEFA Champions League final between Manchester City and Inter Milan will rake in about $81 million in all.
Part of CONCACAF's motivation for switching back to the former nomenclature was to differentiate its competition from UEFA's vaunted showpiece, FOX Sports understands.
"Maintaining the word ‘Champions' was crucial for us to highlight that this tournament is at the top of the club pyramid" in the region, CONCACAF General Secretary Philippe Moggio said. "We also feel that moving away from ‘Champions League' allows us to develop a unique identity for our club competition."
Doug McIntyre is a soccer writer for FOX Sports. Before joining FOX Sports in 2021, he was a staff writer with ESPN and Yahoo Sports and he has covered United States men’s and women’s national teams at multiple FIFA World Cups. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.
