2023 CONCACAF Champions League

The 2023 CONCACAF Champions League (officially the 2023 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League for sponsorship reasons) is the 15th edition of the CONCACAF Champions League under its current name, and overall the 58th edition of the premier football club competition organized by CONCACAF, the regional governing body of North America, Central America, and the Caribbean.[1] The winner of the final will earn the right to play in the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia as well as the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup alongside the winners from 2021 to 2024.[2]

2023 CONCACAF Champions League
2023 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League
Tournament details
Dates7 March – 4 June
Teams16 (from 8 associations)
Tournament statistics
Matches played20
Goals scored51 (2.55 per match)
Top scorer(s)Gabon Denis Bouanga
(5 goals)

Seattle Sounders FC were the title holders, but they did not qualify for this tournament and will be unable to defend their title.

Teams

The following 16 teams (from eight associations) qualify for the tournament.[3]

In the following table, the number of appearances, last appearance, and previous best result count only those in the CONCACAF Champions League era starting from 2008–09 (not counting those in the era of the Champions' Cup from 1962 to 2008).

Direct entrants (10 teams)
Association Team Qualifying method App. (last) Previous best (last)
 Mexico (4 berths) Atlas FC Apertura 2021 champions and Clausura 2022 champions 1st Debut
Club León Apertura 2021 runners-up 5th (2022) Quarter-finals (2022)
CF Pachuca Clausura 2022 runners-up 4th (2016–17) Champions (2016–17)
Tigres UANL Best ranked team on aggregate table 7th (2020) Champions (2020)
 United States (4 berths) Los Angeles FC 2022 MLS Cup champions and 2022 MLS Supporters' Shield champions 2nd (2020) Runners-up (2020)
Philadelphia Union 2022 Eastern Conference regular season champions 2nd (2021) Semi-finals (2021)
Orlando City SC 2022 U.S. Open Cup champions 1st Debut
Austin FC Highest-ranked U.S. based Division I club (based on 2022 MLS regular season record) not already qualified 1st Debut
 Canada (1 berth) Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2022 Canadian Championship champions 3rd (2016–17) Semi-finals (2016–17)
 Haiti (CFU berth) Violette AC 2022 CONCACAF Caribbean Club Championship champions 1st Debut
Qualified teams from CONCACAF League (6 teams)
Association Team Qualifying method App. (last) Previous best (last)
 Honduras CD Olimpia 2022 CONCACAF League champions (1st overall) 13th (2021) Semi-finals (2020)
Real CD España 2022 CONCACAF League semifinalist (3rd overall) 4th (2014–15) Group stage (2011–12)
FC Motagua 2022 CONCACAF League semifinalist (4th overall) 7th (2022) Round of 16 (2020)
 Costa Rica LD Alajuelense 2022 CONCACAF League runners-up (2nd overall) 7th (2021) Semi-finals (2014–15)
 El Salvador Alianza FC 2022 CONCACAF League best-ranked losing quarter-finalist (5th overall) 5th (2020) Round of 16 (2019)
 Panama Tauro FC 2022 CONCACAF League second-ranked losing quarter-finalist (6th overall) 7th (2018) Quarter-finals (2018)

    Draw
    Location of teams of the 2023 CONCACAF Champions League
    North American Zone Central American Zone Caribbean Zone

    The draw took take place in Miami, Florida, on 7 November 2022.[4] The seeding of teams was based on the CONCACAF Club Index.[5] The CONCACAF Club Index, instead of ranking each team, was based on the on-field performance of the teams that occupied the respective qualifying slots in the previous five editions of the CONCACAF Champions League. To determine the total points awarded to a slot in any single edition of the CONCACAF Champions League, CONCACAF used the following formula:

    Points
    per    		 Participation Win Draw Stage advanced Champions
    43112

    The slots were assigned by the following rules:[6]

    • For teams from North America, nine teams qualified based on criteria set by their association (e.g., tournament champions, runners-up, cup champions), resulting in an assigned slot (e.g., MEX1, MEX2) for each team. If a team from Canada qualified through the CONCACAF League, they were ranked within their association, resulting in an assigned slot (i.e., CAN2) for them.
    • For teams from Central America, they qualified through the CONCACAF League, and were ranked per association by their CONCACAF League ranking, resulting in an assigned slot (e.g., CRC1, CRC2) for each team.
    • For teams from the Caribbean, the CONCACAF Caribbean Club Championship champions were assigned the Caribbean champion slot (i.e., CCC1). If teams from the Caribbean qualified through the CONCACAF League, they were ranked per association by their CONCACAF League ranking, resulting in an assigned slot (e.g., JAM1, SUR1) for each team.

    The 16 teams were distributed in the pots as follows:[7]

    Pot Rank Slot 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 Total Team
    Pot 1 1 MEX2 25 21 24 16 17 103 Mexico León
    2 MEX3 17 26 11 20 19 93 Mexico Pachuca
    3 MEX1 12 20 11 28 12 83 Mexico Atlas
    4 USA4 5 11 12 12 25 65 United States Austin FC
    5 USA2 7 15 16 16 8 62 United States Philadelphia Union
    6 USA1 11 11 6 12 16 56 United States Los Angeles FC
    7 USA3 17 11 11 10 7 56 United States Orlando City SC
    8 CAN1 21 5 10 9 9 54 Canada Vancouver Whitecaps FC
    Pot 2 9 MEX4 9 4 7 5 7 32 Mexico UANL
    10 CRC1 5 7 6 4 5 27 Costa Rica Alajuelense
    11 HON1 5 4 5 7 5 26 Honduras Olimpia
    12 HON2 5 0 11 5 0 21 Honduras Real España
    13 PAN1 8 12 0 0 0 20 Panama Tauro
    14 SLV1 7 5 7 0 0 19 El Salvador Alianza
    15 CCC1 4 4 4 4 0 16 Haiti Violette
    16 HON3 0 0 0 0 0 0 Honduras Motagua

    Format

    Each tie, including the final, is played over two legs, with each team playing on a home-and-away basis.

    • In the round of 16, quarter-finals, and semi-finals, the away goals rule is applied if the aggregate score is tied after the second leg. If still tied, a penalty shoot-out is used to determine the winner (Regulations Article 12.7).[8]
    • In the final, extra time is played if the match is tied after regulation time. If the score is still tied after extra time, a penalty shoot-out is used to determine the winner (Regulations Article 12.8).[8]

    Schedule
    Schedule for 2023 CONCACAF Champions League[9]
    Round First leg Second leg
    Round of 16 7–9 March 14–16 March
    Quarterfinals 4–5 April 11–13 April
    Semifinals 25–27 April 2–4 May
    Final 31 May 4 June

    Bracket
     
    		Round of 16Quarter-finalsSemi-finalsFinal
     
    		                      
     
    		 
     
     
    		Haiti Violette 303
     
    		 
     
    		 United States Austin FC 022
     
    		Haiti Violette 0  
     
    		 
     
    		Mexico León 5  
     
    		Panama Tauro 000
     
    		 
     
    		Mexico León 123
     
    		   
     
    		 
     
    		    
     
    		Mexico UANL (a)011
     
    		 
     
    		United States Orlando City SC 011
     
    		Mexico UANL 1  
     
    		 
     
    		Honduras Motagua 0  
     
    		Honduras Motagua (a)011
     
    		 
     
    		Mexico Pachuca 011
     
    		   
     
    		 
     
    		    
     
    		Canada Vancouver Whitecaps FC 527
     
    		 
     
    		Honduras Real España 033
     
    		Canada Vancouver Whitecaps FC0  
     
    		 
     
    		United States Los Angeles FC 3  
     
    		Costa Rica Alajuelense 022
     
    		 
     
    		United States Los Angeles FC 314
     
    		   
     
    		 
     
    		    
     
    		Honduras Olimpia 404
     
    		 
     
    		 Mexico Atlas 145
     
    		Mexico Atlas 0  
     
    		 
     
    		United States Philadelphia Union 1  
     
    		El Salvador Alianza 000
     
     
    		 United States Philadelphia Union 044
     

    Round of 16

    In the round of 16, the matchups were decided by draw: R16-1 through R16-8. The teams from Pot 1 in the draw hosted the second leg.

    Summary

    The first legs were played on 7–9 March, and the second legs were played on 14–16 March 2023.[10]

    Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
    Violette Haiti 3–2 United States Austin FC 3–0 0–2
    Tauro Panama 0–3 Mexico León 0–1 0–2
    UANL Mexico 1–1 (a) United States Orlando City SC 0–0 1–1
    Motagua Honduras 1–1 (a) Mexico Pachuca 0–0 1–1
    Vancouver Whitecaps FC Canada 7–3[upper-alpha 1] Honduras Real España 5–0 2–3
    Alajuelense Costa Rica 2–4 United States Los Angeles FC 0–3 2–1
    Olimpia Honduras 4–5 Mexico Atlas 4–1 0–4
    Alianza El Salvador 0–4 United States Philadelphia Union 0–0 0–4

    Notes

    1. Order of legs were reversed after original draw

    Matches
    Violette Haiti3–0United States Austin FC
    • Chéry 13', 39'
    • Tarek 47' (o.g.)
    		 Report
    Referee: Selvin Brown (Honduras)
    Austin FC 2–0 Violette
    		 Report
    Attendance: 20,738[11]
    Referee: Oshane Nation (Jamaica)

    Violette won 3–2 on aggregate.

    Tauro Panama0–1Mexico León
    Report
    León 2–0 Tauro
    		 Report

    León won 3–0 on aggregate.

    Orlando City SC 1–1 UANL
    		 Report
    Attendance: 21,112

    1–1 on aggregate. UANL won on away goals.

    Motagua Honduras0–0Mexico Pachuca
    Report
    Referee: Drew Fischer (Canada)
    Pachuca 1–1 Motagua
    		 Report

    1–1 on aggregate. Motagua won on away goals.

    Vancouver Whitecaps FC Canada5–0Honduras Real España
    		 Report
    Attendance: 13,644[12]
    Referee: Fernando Hernández Gómez (Mexico)
    Real España 3–2 Vancouver Whitecaps FC
    • Montes 67', 86'
    • Rocca 75'
    		 Report
    Referee: Marco Ortiz (Mexico)

    Vancouver Whitecaps FC won 7–3 on aggregate.

    Alajuelense Costa Rica0–3United States Los Angeles FC
    Report
    Referee: Daneion Parchment (Jamaica)
    Los Angeles FC 1–2 Alajuelense
    		 Report
    Attendance: 19,672[13]
    Referee: Adonai Escobedo González (Mexico)

    Los Angeles FC won 4–2 on aggregate.

    Olimpia Honduras4–1Mexico Atlas
    		 Report
    Atlas 4–0 Olimpia
    		 Report
    Attendance: 13,697[14]
    Referee: Juan Gabriel Calderón (Costa Rica)

    Atlas won 5–4 on aggregate.

    Alianza El Salvador0–0United States Philadelphia Union
    Report
    Referee: César Ramos (Mexico)
    Philadelphia Union 4–0 Alianza
    		 Report
    Attendance: 8,145[15]
    Referee: Bryan López (Guatemala)

    Philadelphia Union won 4–0 on aggregate.

    Quarter-finals

    In the quarter-finals, the matchups were determined as follows:

    • QF1: Winner R16-1 vs. Winner R16-2
    • QF2: Winner R16-3 vs. Winner R16-4
    • QF3: Winner R16-5 vs. Winner R16-6
    • QF4: Winner R16-7 vs. Winner R16-8

    The winners of round of 16 matchups 1, 3, 5 and 7 hosts the second leg.

    Summary
    Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
    Violette Haiti QF1 Mexico León 0–5 11 Apr
    Motagua Honduras QF2 Mexico UANL 0–1 13 Apr
    Vancouver Whitecaps FC Canada QF3 United States Los Angeles FC 0–3 11 Apr
    Atlas Mexico QF4 United States Philadelphia Union 0–1 12 Apr

    Matches
    León 5–0 Violette
    		 Report
    Referee: Ismael Cornejo (El Salvador)
    Violette HaitivMexico León
    Report
    UANL v Motagua
    Report
    Vancouver Whitecaps FC Canada0–3United States Los Angeles FC
    Report
    Attendance: 11,652
    Referee: Fernando Guerrero Ramírez (Mexico)
    Los Angeles FC v Vancouver Whitecaps FC
    Report
    Philadelphia Union 1–0 Atlas
    		 Report
    Atlas MexicovUnited States Philadelphia Union
    Report

    Semi-finals

    In the semi-finals, the matchups were determined as follows:

    • SF1: Winner QF1 vs. Winner QF2
    • SF2: Winner QF3 vs. Winner QF4

    The semi-finalists in each tie which has the better performance across all previous rounds hosts the second leg.

    Final

    In the final (Winner SF1 vs. Winner SF2), the finalist which has the better performances in previous rounds hosts the second leg.

    Top goalscorers
      Team eliminated for this round.
    RankPlayerClubBy roundTotal
    goals[16]
    1R11R2 QF1QF2 SF1SF2F1F2
    1 Gabon Denis Bouanga United States Los Angeles FC 32 5
    2 Honduras Jorge Benguché Honduras Olimpia 2 2
    Haiti Miche-Naider Chéry Haiti Violette 2
    Chile Víctor Dávila Mexico León 2
    Argentina Sebastián Driussi United States Austin FC 2
    Hungary Dániel Gazdag United States Philadelphia Union 11
    Mexico Elias Hernández Mexico León 11
    Honduras Getsal Montes Honduras Real España 2
    United States Andrés Perea United States Philadelphia Union 2
    Colombia Julián Quiñones Mexico Atlas 2
    United States Brian White Canada Vancouver Whitecaps FC 11

    See also

    Notes
    1. Due to the 2018–2023 Haitian crisis, Violette will play at Estadio Cibao FC in Santiago, Dominican Republic.

    References
    1. "Violette AC win 2022 FCCCC, claim SCCL berth". Concacaf. 25 May 2022. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
    2. Dunbar, Graham (March 14, 2023). "FIFA expands 2026 World Cup again, with Toronto and Vancouver hosting extra matches". CBC Sports. Associated Press. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
    3. "Concacaf Announces Scotiabank Concacaf League Expansion". www.concacafleague.com. 11 February 2019. Archived from the original on 23 June 2019. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
    4. "Concacaf announces details for 2023 Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League". CONCACAF. 13 October 2022.
    5. "Q&A: Club Index for 2018 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League Draw". CONCACAF.com. 29 November 2017. Archived from the original on 2 October 2018. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
    6. "SCCL How Clubs Qualify". CONCACAF Champions League. 9 October 2019. Archived from the original on 11 October 2019. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
    7. "Club Ranking for the 2023 SCCL". Concacaf. 11 October 2022. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
    8. "Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League 2023 Regulations" (PDF). CONCACAF.
    9. "Concacaf announces details for 2023 Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League". Concacaf. 13 October 2022. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
    10. "Draw delivers Round of 16 matchups for 2023 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions league". CONCACAF. 7 November 2022.
    11. "Match Recap: ATX vs. VIO, March 14, 2023". MLSsoccer.com. 14 March 2023. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
    12. Adams, J.J. (8 March 2023). "Whitecaps 5, Real Espana 0: Boom goes the CCL dynamite". The Province. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
    13. "Match Recap: LAFC vs. LDA, March 15, 2023". MLSsoccer.com. 15 March 2023. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
    14. "Match Recap: ATL vs. OLI, March 14, 2023". MLSsoccer.com. 14 March 2023. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
    15. "Match Recap: PHI vs. ALZ, March 14, 2023". MLSsoccer.com. 14 March 2023. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
    16. "Stats". CONCACAF. 14 March 2023. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
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