CONCACAF Champions League results and matches: Liga MX, MLS renew rivalry
Can anyone stop Liga MX clubs in the CONCACAF Champions League? That will again be the subject of the contest following the draw for the 2022 edition conducted on December 15 in Miami.
Liga MX has dominated the competition, winning every tournament since the league restart. In 2022, it will be up to Club Leon, Cruz Azul, Pumas UNAM and Santos Laguna to maintain Mexico’s record. Defending champion Monterrey did not qualify for the 2022 edition. Teams from the US, Canada, Haiti, Guatemala, Honduras and Costa Rica will once again attempt to break regional supremacy for the first time.
One side of the 2022 fixture could see the quarterfinals between the Seattle Sounders (USA) vs Club Leon (Mexico) in a rematch of their memorable 2021 League Cup final. Meanwhile, a potential quarter-final between New York City FC and Colorado Rapids would guarantee Major League Soccer a semi-finalist.
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Unkind draw with Canadian clubs Forge FC Hamilton and CF Montreal; both will have to face Mexico to start the Round of 16. Depending on the outcome of those head to head, we could see an all-Canada or all-Mexico quarter-final.
The knockout stage begins with Round of 16 and each round will feature a two-legged series of home matches to decide each pairing. The team that scores the most goals will advance (information on the settlement results below). Here are the results of the draw:
Draw for the round of 16 of CONCACAF Champions League teams
The Round of 16 matches will be played in February. The first innings will be played on 15-17 February, followed by the second on 22-24 February. The seeded team in each series will host the second match.
Rd of 16 | Home team – first leg | Home team – second leg | |
first | Guastatoya | compare to | Club Leon |
2 | FC Motagua | compare to | Seattle Sounders |
3 | Communicaciones | compare to | Colorado Rapids |
4 | Santos de Guapiles | compare to | New York City FC |
5 | Deportivo Saprissa | compare to | Pumas UNAM |
6 | Cavaly AS | compare to | New England Revolution |
7 | Santos Laguna | compare to | CF Montreal |
8 | Forge FC Hamilton | compare to | Cruz Azul |
CONCACAF Champions League Quarterfinals
These two stages will take place from March 8 to 10 and March 15 to 17. Clubs in the Round of 16 with the pre-determined numbers 1, 3, 5 and 7 will host the second legs of each quarter-final series.
QFs | Home team – first leg | Home team – second leg | |
first | Motagua / Seattle | compare to | Guastatoya / Club Leon |
2 | Santos Guapiles / NYCFC | compare to | Communicaciones / Colorado Rapids |
3 | Cavaly / New England | compare to | Deportivo Saprissa / Pumas UNAM |
4 | Forge FC / Cruz Azul | compare to | Santos Laguna / CF Montreal |
CONCACAF Champions League Semifinals & Finals
Based on The official rules of the tournament, the remaining four semi-finalists will be ranked based on their 2022 Champions League results, with three points assigned for each win and one point for each draw through the quarter-finals. If necessary, the players to draw in this ranking will be a.) Overall goal difference and then b.) Total number of goals scored in the quarter-finals.
The top-ranked team in each semi-final and final, based on the aforementioned scoring system, will host the second-leg semi-finals and finals.
Semi-final No. 1 | Semi-final No. 2 | ||
Motagua / Seattle / Gustatoya / Leon | compare to | Guapiles / NYCFC / Communicaciones / Colorado | |
Cavaly / New England / Saprissa / Pumas | compare to | Forge / Cruz Azul / Santos / CF Montreal |
- Semifinal: April 5-7, April 12-14
- Final: April 26-28, May 3-5
CONCACAF Champions League tiebreak
In case the two teams tie in the number of final goals after both innings, this is how the winner is determined, according to the rules of the tournament:
Tiebreaker: Round of 16, quarterfinals, semi-finals
The winners of the first three rounds of the tournament are:
- Many goals are scored away from home;
- If the teams also tie on away goals, a penalty shootout will determine the team to advance.
Tiebreaker: Finals
A draw between away goals does not apply in the final. In the event of a tie after 180 minutes of specified play, the winner is determined by:
- Two extra periods lasting 15 minutes;
- If the teams are still tied on total goals after extra time, a penalty shootout will determine the winner.
Teams qualify for CONCACAF Champions League 2022
The following 16 teams qualified for the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League. Ten qualified through the domestic tournament, while the remaining six earned a place by finishing as one of six teams. top at CONCACAF League 2021.
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Club | nation | How qualified? |
Cavaly AS | Haitian | Winner of the Caribbean Championship 2021 |
CF Montreal | Canada | Winner of the Canadian Championship 2021 |
Club Leon | Mexico | The champion of Liga MX Apertura 2020 |
Colorado Rapids | USA | MLS Western Confernce 2021 regular season winner |
Communicaciones | Guatemala | Winner of the CONCACAF Awards 2021 |
Cruz Azul | Mexico | The Champion of Liga MX Clausura in 2021 |
Forging FC | Canada | Semi-finals of CONCACAF 2021 |
Guastatoya | Guatemala | Semi-finals of CONCACAF 2021 |
Motagua | Honduras | The team that reached the final of the CONCACAF tournament in 2021 |
New England Revolution | USA | Winner of the MLS Eastern Conference season 2021 |
New York City FC | USA | Champion of MLS Cup 2021 |
Pumas UNAM | Mexico | Runner-up of Liga MX Apertura 2020 |
Saprissa | Costa Rica | 2021 CONCACAF Championship Team (out of the top two) |
Santos de Guapiles | Costa Rica | 2021 CONCACAF Championship Team (out of the top two) |
Santos Laguna | Mexico | Liga MX Clausura 2021 runner-up |
Seattle Sounders | USA | The next highest in the MLS Supporters Shield rankings for 2021 |
How was the draw for CONCACAF Champions League?
The 16 teams ranked by CONCACAF, with the top eight teams grouped into Pool 1 and the remaining teams in Pool 2.
For the Round of 16, the seeded teams of Pot 1 were played against teams that were not placed in Pot 2, although clubs from the same country were not able to play against each other in the Round of 16.
Pot 1 | Pot 2 |
CF Montreal | Cavaly AS |
Club Leon | Communicaciones |
Colorado Rapids | Forging FC |
Cruz Azul | Guastatoya |
New England Revolution | Motagua |
New York City FC | Santos de Guapiles |
Pumas UNAM | Santos Laguna |
Seattle Sounders | Saprissa |
The draw begins with eight unspent Pot 2 teams and, after each name is drawn, that team’s position in the pool is chosen at random from another pot. This process is repeated with the teams seeded in Pool 1.
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CONCACAF Champions League Champion Team
A Mexican club that has won every CONCACAF Champions League since the competition was revamped and renamed prior to the 2008-09 edition. All but four of the 13 finals featured two Mexican teams.
Five | Champion | runner-up |
Year 2021 | Monterrey (Mexico) | Club America (Mexico) |
Year 2020 | UANL Tigres (Mexico) | LAFC (USA) |
2019 | Monterrey (Mexico) | UANL Tigres (Mexico) |
2018 | Chivas (Mexico) | Toronto FC (Canada) |
2016-17 | Pachuca (Mexico) | UANL Tigres (Mexico) |
2015-16 | Club America (Mexico) | UANL Tigres (Mexico) |
2014-15 | Club America (Mexico) | Impact Montreal (Canada) |
2013-14 | Cruz Azul (Mexico) | Toluca (Mexico) |
2012-13 | Monterrey (Mexico) | Santos Laguna (Mexico) |
2011-12 | Monterrey (Mexico) | Santos Laguna (Mexico) |
2010-11 | Monterrey (Mexico) | Real Salt Lake (USA) |
2009-10 | Pachuca (Mexico) | Cruz Azul (Mexico) |
2008-09 | Atlanta (Mexico) | Cruz Azul (Mexico) |