The Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League (SCCL) is the region’s premier competition for clubs. It was introduced ahead of the 2008/09 season, replacing the Champions’ Cup, which had decided the Confederation's best side since 1962.
About
2018-19
On January 23, 2017, a historic expansion of the Concacaf international club competition platform was announced. The SCCL was concentrated from a 24- to a 16-team event to be played annually (February-May), while a second 16-team tournament -- the Scotiabank Concacaf League (SCL) – was founded for clubs from the Caribbean and Central America to be contested from August-October.
As a result, 31 total clubs (the SCL champion joined the 15 directly qualified teams in the SCCL) – rather than 24 – were handed the opportunity to compete internationally on annual basis.
In order to increase the quantity of relevant games, while also compacting the schedule to avoid overburdening participating clubs, the SCCL and SCL were organized entirely under a home-and-away, direct-elimination format. The new system replaced the previous structure of a group-stage followed by knockout rounds.
Countries and sub-regions were apportioned to participate in the competitions based on an index created by Concacaf that took into account their levels of success in the SCCL:
Mexico and the United States each had four teams in the competition, while Canada, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, the Caribbean Club Championship and the SCL provided one entrant apiece. In 2018, due to FIFA’s suspension of the Federacion Nacional de Futbol de Guatemala, Guatemala’s place was awarded to Costa Rica.
2020 and beyond
In February 2019, Concacaf announced the expansion of the SCL from 16 to 22 teams to include five additional Central American clubs and one Canadian Premier League club.
Twelve teams participate in a Preliminary Round decided in a two-legged series, with each series winner advancing to the next round to face nine ranked Central American clubs and the runner-up from the Concacaf Caribbean Club Championship.
At the end of the competition, the top 15 clubs will be ranked accordingly, with the top six teams qualifying for the SCCL.
The SCCL champion will continue to qualify for the annual FIFA Club World Cup.
2008/09 – 2016/17
Throughout the SCCL’s first four years, 16 unseeded teams were paired off in a Preliminary Round. The winners of those eight series joined the eight seeded teams in the main 16-club Group Stage that was comprised of four groups of four teams.
The first- and second-place from each group advanced to the quarterfinals, at which point the competition commenced with knockout play.
In an effort to streamline and strengthen the competition, the Concacaf Executive Committee approved format changes prior to the 2012/13 edition. Those modifications called for all 24 qualifiers to be placed directly into the Group Stage, which was reconfigured to eight groups of three teams.
Only the group winners advanced to the two-legged knockout rounds that consisted of quarterfinals, semifinals and final. In the quarterfinals, the group winner that completed the Group Stage with the best record faced the team with the eighth-best record from among the other group winners. In turn, two played seven, three played six, and four faced five. In the semifinals the winner of 1-vs-8 advanced to meet the winner of 4-vs-5, while winners of 3-vs-6 and 2-vs-7 squared off against each other.
The Champions
Atlante won the inaugural 2008/09 tournament, beating fellow Mexican side Cruz Azul (agg: 2-0) in the final. A year later, Pachuca defeated Cruz Azul for the title on the away-goals rule. Monterrey then went on to capture three straight championships (2010/11, 2011/12, 2012/13), before the away-goals rule came into play once again in 2013/14 as Cruz Azul prevailed over Toluca to earn the right to lift the trophy.
Club America secured SCCL honors in 2014/15 and 2015/16, topping the Impact de Montreal (agg: 5-3) and Tigres (agg: 4-1), respectively, in consecutive finals.
Pachuca topped Tigres (agg: 2-1) in 2016/17 decider for its second SCCL crown.
Since the adoption of the new 16-team format in 2018, the champions have both emerged from Liga MX, with Chivas defeating Toronto FC in 2018 (3-3 on aggregate, 4-2 on penalties) and Monterrey defeating Tigres in the 2019 Final, 2-1 on aggregate.
While Monterrey has been the most successful club in the SCCL era with four titles, Club America has the most overall CONCACAF club titles with seven.
ALL-TIME CONCACAF CLUB CHAMPIONS
Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League
2019: Monterrey (Mexico)
2018: Chivas (Mexico)
2016/17: Pachuca (Mexico)
2015/16: Club America (Mexico)
2014/15: Club America (Mexico)
2013/14: Cruz Azul (Mexico)
2012/13: Monterrey (Mexico)
2011/12: Monterrey (Mexico)
2010/11: Monterrey (Mexico)
2009/10: Pachuca (Mexico)
2008/09: Atlante (Mexico)
CONCACAF Champions Cup
2008: Pachuca (Mexico)
2007: Pachuca (Mexico)
2006: Club America (Mexico)
2005: Saprissa (Costa Rica)
2004: Alajuelense (Costa Rica)
2003: Toluca (Mexico)
2002: Pachuca (Mexico)
2000: LA Galaxy (USA)
1999: Necaxa (Mexico)
1998: D.C. United (USA)
1997: Cruz Azul (Mexico)
1996: Cruz Azul (Mexico)
1995: Saprissa (Costa Rica)
1994: Cartagines (Costa Rica)
1993: Saprissa (Costa Rica)
1992: Club America (Mexico)
1991: Puebla (Mexico)
1990: Club America (Mexico)
1989: Pumas (Mexico)
1988: Olimpia (Honduras)
1987: Club America (Mexico)
1986: Alajuelense (Costa Rica)
1985: Defence Force (Trinidad & Tobago)
1984: Violette (Haiti)
1983: Atlante (Mexico)
1982: Pumas (Mexico)
1981: Transvaal (Suriname)
1980: Pumas (Mexico)
1979: FAS (El Salvador)
1978: Universidad de Guadalajara (Mexico), Comunicaciones (Guatemala), Defence Force (Trinidad & Tobago)
1977: Club America (Mexico)
1976: Aguila (El Salvador)
1975: Atletico Español (Mexico)
1974: Municipal (Guatemala)
1973: Transvaal (Suriname)
1972: Olimpia (Honduras)
1971: Cruz Azul (Mexico)
1970: Cruz Azul (Mexico)
1969: Cruz Azul (Mexico)
1968: Toluca (Mexico)
1967: Alianza (El Salvador)
1963: Racing Club Haitien (Haiti)
1962: Guadalajara (Mexico)
ALL-TIME CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL RESULTS & SCORERS
2021
*Single match leg
December 28, 2021, Estadio BBVA, Guadalupe
CF Monterrey (1) 1 Club America (0)
Rogelio Funes Mori 9'
CF Monterrey had the home advantage field after been the top ranked.
2020
*Single Match game
December 22, 2020: Exploria Stadium, Orlando Florida, USA
Tigres UANL (0) 2 Los Angeles (0) 1
Hugo Ayala 72', Andre-Pierre Gignac 84'/ Diego Martin Rossi 61'
*Due to COVID-19 the final was played in a single game.
2019
FIRST LEG
April 23, 2019: Estadio Universitario – San Nicolas de los Garza, Mexico (Att: 41,615)
Tigres-Monterrey 0-1 (0-1)
Nicolas Sanchez 43’
SECOND LEG
May 1, 2017: Estadio BBVA Bancomer – Guadalupe, Mexico (Att: 52,229)
Monterrey-Tigres 1-1 (1-0)
Nicolas Sanchez 26’ / Andre-Pierre Gignac 85’
Monterrey wins 2019 CONCACAF Champions League (agg: 2-1)
2018
FIRST LEG
April 17, 2018: BMO Field – Toronto, Canada (Att: 29,925)
Toronto FC-Chivas 1-2 (1-1)
Jonathan Osorio 19’ / Rodolfo Pizarro 2’, Alan Pulido 72’
SECOND LEG
April 25, 2018: Estadio Akron – Guadalajara, Mexico (Att: 36,977)
Chivas-Toronto FC 1-2 (1-2)
Orbelin Pineda 19’ / Jozy Altidore 25’, Sebastian Giovinco 44’
Chivas wins 2018 CONCACAF Champions League (agg: 3-3, 4-2 in penalty shootout)
2016/17
FIRST LEG
April 18, 2017: Estadio Universitario – San Nicolas de los Garza, Mexico (Att: 35,147)
Tigres-Pachuca 1-1 (1-1)
Ismael Sosa 32’ / Raul Lopez 3’
SECOND LEG
April 26, 2017: Estadio Hidalgo – Pachuca, Mexico (Att: 27,203)
Pachuca-Tigres 1-0 (0-0)
Franco Jara 83’
Pachuca wins 2016/17 CONCACAF Champions League (agg: 2-1)
2015/16
FIRST LEG
April 20, 2016: Estadio Universitario – San Nicolas de los Garza, Mexico (Att: 39,293)
Tigres-Club America 0-2 (0-0)
Dario Benedetto 48’; Osvaldo Martinez 90’+3
SECOND LEG
April 27, 2016: Estadio Azteca – Mexico City, Mexico (Att: 50,638)
Club America-Tigres 2-1 (0-1)
Michael Arroyo 68’; Osvaldo Martinez 89’ pen / Andre-Pierre Gignac 39’
Club America wins 2015/16 CONCACAF Champions League (agg: 4-1)
2014/15
FIRST LEG
April 22, 2015: Estadio Azteca – Mexico City, Mexico (Att: 56,783)
Club America-Impact de Montreal 1-1 (0-1)
Oribe Peralta 89’ / Ignacio Piatti 16’
SECOND LEG
April 29, 2015: Stade Olympique – Montreal, Canada (Att: 61,004)
Impact de Montreal-Club America 2-4 (1-0)
Andres Romero 8’; Jack McInerney 89’ / Dario Benedetto 50', 67’, 81’; Oribe Peralta 65'
Club America wins 2014/15 CONCACAF Champions League (agg: 5-3)
2013/14
FIRST LEG
April 15, 2014: Estadio Azul – Mexico City, Mexico (Att: 24,329)
Cruz Azul-Toluca 0-0 (0-0)
SECOND LEG
April 23, 2014: Estadio Nemesio Diez – Toluca, Mexico (Att: 20,675)
Toluca-Cruz Azul 1-1 (0-1)
Edgar Benitez 63’ / Mariano Pavone 41’
Cruz Azul wins 2013/14 CONCACAF Champions League on away goals rule (agg: 1-1)
2012/13
FIRST LEG
April 24, 2013: Estadio Corona – Torreon, Mexico (Att: 21,401)
Santos-Monterrey 0-0 (0-0)SECOND LEG
May 1, 2013: Estadio Tecnologico -- Monterrey, Mexico (Att: 33,667)
Monterrey-Santos 4-2 (0-1)
Aldo De Nigris 60’, 86’; Neri Cardozo 83’; Humberto Suazo 90'+2 / Carlos Darwin Quintero 38’; Felipe Baloy 51’
Monterrey wins 2012/13 CONCACAF Champions League (agg: 4-2)
2011/12
FIRST LEG
April 18, 2012: Estadio Tecnologico – Monterrey, Mexico (Att: 29,300)
Monterrey-Santos 2-0 (0-0)
Humberto Suazo 60’, 86’
SECOND LEG
April 25, 2012: Estadio Corona – Torreon, Mexico (Att: 28,000)
Santos-Monterrey 2-1 (1-0)
Daniel Ludueña 45’; Oribe Peralta 51’ / Neri Cardozo 81’
Monterrey wins 2011/12 CONCACAF Champions League (agg: 3-2)
2010/11
FIRST LEG
April 20, 2011: Estadio Tecnologico – Monterrey, Mexico (Att: 30,247)
Monterrey-Real Salt Lake 2-2 (1-1)
Aldo De Nigris 18'; Humberto Suazo 62' pen / Nate Borchers 35'; Javier Morales 89'
SECOND LEG
April 27, 2011: Rio Tinto Stadium – Sandy, Utah, USA (Att: 20,378)
Real Salt Lake-Monterrey 0-1 (0-1)
Humberto Suazo 45'+1
Monterrey wins 2010/11 CONCACAF Champions League (agg: 3-2)
2009/10
FIRST LEG
April 21, 2010: Estadio Azul – Mexico City, Mexico (Att: 16,186)
Cruz Azul-Pachuca 2-1 (2-0)
Emanuel Villa 20'; own-goal, Carlos Rodriguez 24' / Damian Alvarez 69'
SECOND LEG
April 28, 2010: Estadio Hidalgo – Pachuca, Mexico (Att: 26,500)
Pachuca-Cruz Azul 1-0 (0-0)
Edgar Benitez 90’
Pachuca wins 2009/10 CONCACAF Champions League on away goals rule (agg: 2-2)
2008/09
FIRST LEG
April 22, 2009: Estadio Azul – Mexico City, Mexico (Att: 22,718)
Cruz Azul-Atlante 0-2 (0-2)
Fernando Navarro 17'; Christian Bermudez 24’
SECOND LEG
May 12, 2009: Estadio Olimpico Andres Quintana Roo – Cancun, Mexico (Att: 13,000)
Atlante-Cruz Azul 0-0 (0-0)
Atlante wins 2008/09 CONCACAF Champions League (agg: 2-0)
CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE – TOP 10 SCORERS
(thru 2019 edition)
TWENTY-FIVE
Javier Orozco; Cruz Azul (24), Santos (1)
TWENTY-TWO
Oribe Peralta; Santos (12), Club America (10)
Carlos Darwin Quintero; Santos (17), Club America (5)
SEVENTEEN
Emanuel Villa; Cruz Azul (11), Queretaro (6)
SIXTEEN
Aldo de Nigris; Monterrey (16)
Humberto Suazo; Monterrey (16)
TWELVE
Dario Carreno; Monterrey (9), Pachuca (3)
Herculez Gomez; Santos (9), Club Tijuana (3)
TEN
Edgar Benitez; Pachuca (5), Toluca (4), Queretaro (1)
Raul Nava; Toluca (10)
Guillermo Ramirez; Municipal (9), Motagua (1)
Alvaro Saborio; Real Salt Lake (10)
Yendrick Ruiz; Herediano (10)
