MIAMI – The 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup continues as CS Cartaginés hosts Vancouver Whitecaps FC in the first Leg of their Round One series on Wednesday at Estadio Fello Meza in Cartago, Costa Rica. 

The occasion will mark the first meeting between the clubs in the Champions Cup. It is also the first time CS Cartaginés will play Canadian opposition in the history of the tournament. 

Vancouver Whitecaps FC enjoyed a strong showing in last year’s edition, making an impressive run to the final before falling to Cruz Azul. 

The Canadian side has had success in two-legged series against Central American clubs in Champions Cup. In 2023, Whitecaps FC side eliminated Real España in the Round of 16 with a 7-3 aggregate score. In the first round of last year’s tournament, Jesper Sørensen’s side ousted Costa Rican club Deportivo Saprissa 3-2 on aggregate. 

CS Cartaginés won the Champions Cup in 1994, with a 3-2 victory over Mexican side Atlante FC in the Final and looks to kick off its second title-winning campaign. 

A Look Back at Their Champions Cup Campaigns

CS Cartaginés will compete in a two-legged series against a North American club for the first time in tournament history and for the third time overall in knockout-stage encounters against teams from the region. The first came in the single-match Grand Final of the 1995 edition on February 5, 1995, when Cartaginés defeated Atlante FC 3-2 at Estadio Espartano in San José (USA). Heriberto Quirós scored a brace and Marco Tulio Hidalgo added another for the Costa Rican club, while José Enrique García and Gastón Obledo found the net for Atlante FC. The second came in the Quarterfinals of the 1997 edition, also a single-match series, with a 1-0 defeat against Club Guadalajara on August 16, 1997, at Estadio Jalisco (MEX), with the lone goal scored by Felipe de Jesús Robles.

For Vancouver Whitecaps FC, this will be the third two-legged series against Central American clubs in tournament history. In the 2023 edition, the Canadian side eliminated Real España in the Round of 16 with a 7-3 aggregate score, and in the First Round of the 2025 edition, it advanced past Deportivo Saprissa with a 3-2 aggregate score.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC holds a record of three wins and three losses against Central American opponents, scoring 11 goals and conceding six. Its defeats came in a 1-0 loss to CD Olimpia in Group F on October 22, 2015, a 3-2 loss to Real España in the second leg of the Round of 16 on March 15, 2023, and a 2-1 loss to Deportivo Saprissa in the first leg of the First Round on February 20, 2025.