MIAMI — The 2024 Concacaf Central American Cup kicks off with three encounters on Tuesday, as the 20 best clubs compete to be crowned champions in early December.
Three debutants and three returning teams begin their quest to become first-time champions. Belize, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica will be the settings for the first matchday.
Port Layola vs. Antigua GFC
Port Layola meets Antigua at the FFB Stadium in Belmopan, Belize, as both clubs begin their debut campaigns in the tournament's second edition.
The reigning champions of the Premier League of Belize will aim to become the first team from its league to win a Central American Cup match. It will be the second team from Belize to participate in the tournament after Verdes FC, the club it defeated on penalties to win its latest league title.
Antigua will become the fourth Guatemalan team to participate in the tournament and qualified due to its position in the aggregate points table of its domestic league. The club previously participated in the Concacaf Champions Cup and Concacaf League but has not been able to win in its three appearances in Concacaf club tournaments.
The last time teams from Belize and Guatemala faced each other in a Concacaf club match was March 25, 1998, in the Concacaf Champions Cup when Verdes FC (BLZ) defeated Aurora FC (GUA) 2-3 at the Colonel Guillermo Reyes Stadium in Guatemala City.
Diriangen FC vs. FC Motagua
Diriangen welcomes Motagua to the Cacique Diriangen Stadium in Diriamba, Nicaragua, for a first-ever encounter between the clubs.
The Nicaraguan side returns to the Central American Cup, this time as the champion of the Apertura 2023 and Clausura 2024 seasons. The club will seek to win its first victory in the tournament after going winless in the 2023 edition.
The previous encounter between "Cacique" and a Honduran club was in the inaugural edition of the Central American Cup when they drew 0-0 against Real España in Group C on August 24, 2023.
Motagua will also play in the Central American Cup for the second time. In the inaugural edition, it reached the quarterfinals and bowed out in the play-in round for the Concacaf Champions Cup qualification.
The Blue Cyclone has 17 appearances in the Concacaf Champions Cup, the most recent being in 2022, and is unbeaten against Nicaraguan rivals in official matches (5W-2D-0L).
CS Herediano vs. Tauro FC
CS Herediano and Tauro FC face off at the National Stadium in San Jose, Costa Rica. The two sides will face each other for the first time in the Central American Cup.
Herediano has won all four matches against Tauro FC in previous Concacaf competitions. The last time the two met was in Group 2 of the 2011–12 CONCACAF Champions Cup, with two victories for the Costa Rican club.
One of the standout teams in the 2023 edition, Herediano has yet to lose in the Central American Cup after going undefeated in the group stage and falling in the semifinals on penalties. The club went on to be the Central American team that went the furthest in the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup, matching its best finish by reaching the quarterfinals, where it fell to eventual champions CF Pachuca.
Tauro FC will make its Central American Cup debut as the champion of the Clausura 2024 tournament in Panama. Los Toros de Pedregal extended their domestic record to 17 league titles.
In the Concacaf Champions Cup, Tauro FC has 13 appearances which is also a record for a Panamanian team. Their best result in the tournament was reaching the quarterfinals in the 2018 edition.
