MIAMI – The 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup kicks off with Forge FC hosting Tigres UANL in the first leg of their Round One series on Tuesday at Hamilton Stadium in Ontario, Canada. 

Forge FC is aiming for its first-ever victory in the Champions Cup. Its previous encounters have all been against Mexican opposition, but this will be the first time the Canadian side takes on Tigres. 

Tigres UANL will face a Canadian club in the First Round of the tournament for the second time in its history, after doing so against Vancouver Whitecaps in the 2024 edition, a series it won with a 4-1 aggregate score. André-Pierre Gignac, Luis Quiñones, Ozziel Herrera, and Juan Pablo Vigón scored for the Mexican club, while Damir Kreilach found the net for the Canadian side. This series produced the first and only draw for Tigres UANL against a Canadian club (1-1) on February 7, 2024.

The only Canadian side to defeat Tigres in a CCC series was Toronto FC, in the 2018 quarterfinals that ended 4-4 on aggregate and saw the MLS side advance due to the away goals rule. 

The series ended with a 4-4 aggregate score and, thanks to the away goals rule, the Canadian club advanced to the Semifinals despite losing the second leg 3-2 on March 13, 2018. Jozy Altidore (first leg), Jonathan Osorio (first leg), Rafa Carioca with an own goal (second leg), and Sebastián Giovinco (second leg) scored for the Canadian club, while Eduardo Vargas (first and second leg) and André-Pierre Gignac, with two goals in the second leg, scored for the Mexican club. 

Tigres will also be looking to become the ninth Mexican team to win the Champions Cup more than once. The Mexican side were crowned winners in 2020 when they defeated Los Angeles FC 2-1 in the Final.  

The Second Leg of their series will be played on February 10 at Estadio Universitario in San Nicolás de los Garza, Mexico.