MIAMI – The 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup Draw is set for Tuesday night, when the 27 participating clubs will find out their route to the Final.

Former Concacaf standouts Brad Guzan and Pavel Pardo will serve as assistants for the Official Draw. The two spoke with Concacaf.com before Tuesday’s proceedings.

Pardo: Champions Cup will always be important for Mexican clubs

Pardo won the 2006 Concacaf Champions Cup with Club América, to cap off an illustrious start to his career in Mexico that included two league titles. The CCC trophy marked a fifth conquest for Las Águilas as Pardo departed to VfB Stuttgart and won the German Bundesliga in his first season.

“The Concacaf [Champions Cup] will always be important for Mexican clubs because it is the tournament for clubs in the region,” said Pardo. “I remember playing in some with América as champions, and it's a tournament that, for example, América wants, longs for, and has been unable to win lately.”

Seven times winners Club América saw its record tied by Mexico City rivals Cruz Azul this past June. Both will return for the 2026 edition searching to set a new record with an eighth crown. Deportivo Toluca FC, CF Monterrey, Tigres UANL, and Pumas UNAM are the other Liga MX clubs in the next edition.

“One of the teams that catches my attention, obviously, is Toluca, which has been playing well, is going to play its second final in the Mexican League,” Pardo added. “This is a team to watch, which will surely be in these final stages.”

Guzan: This is probably the strongest year from representation of MLS

After a nine-year career in the English Premier League, Guzan returned to the U.S. in 2017 to join Atlanta United FC. The Five Stripes played three consecutive editions from 2019 to 2021 with a Quarterfinals finish each time.

“Favorite memory of playing in the Champions Cup is certainly just being able to travel to different countries,” said Guzan. “We obviously went down to Costa Rica before, and just knowing you're representing Major League Soccer, you're representing the United States, and being able to compete against other teams in our region at a high level certainly makes things really exciting.”

Atlanta’s CCC debut came at CS Herediano in the Round of 16, a 3-1 first-leg loss, which led to a 4-nil second-leg win and a comeback on aggregate for the U.S. side. Atlanta United returned

to Costa Rica in 2021 with a 1-nil win against LD Alajuelense in the first leg of the Round of 16, winning the series 2-nil on aggregate.

The eight MLS sides in the 2026 edition will be FC Cincinnati, Inter Miami CF, LA Galaxy, Los Angeles FC, Nashville SC, Philadelphia Union, San Diego FC, and Seattle Sounders FC.

“I think this year, it's an exciting time, because the field is so strong with such high-quality teams,” Guzan continued. “I think this is probably the strongest year from representation of Major League Soccer, so that part for me is extremely exciting and eager to watch the games unfold.”