MIAMI – The 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup continues with Real CD España hosting Los Angeles FC in the first leg of their Round One series on Tuesday at Estadio Francisco Morazán in San Pedro Sula, Honduras.  

Real España returns to the Champions Cup for the first time since 2023 and is set for its 18th appearance overall. Los Aurinegros secured a berth for the current edition as one of the four semifinalists in the 2025 Concacaf Central American Cup. 

It will be its fourth time in the tournament that the Honduran side faces a club from the United States. Real España has recorded a win, two draws and two losses in its previous encounters against MLS teams.

Los Angeles FC is set for a fourth participation after qualifying as one of the best positioned clubs in the 2025 MLS Supporters’ Shield standings. The two-time finalists will continue its quest for its first Champions Cup crown after reaching the Quarterfinals in 2025, and the Final in two previous occasions.

The matchup marks the first time LAFC faces a Honduran opponent, and just the second time it meets a Central American one in the competition. LAFC eliminated Costa Rican club LD Alajuelense, 4-2 on aggregate, in the Round of 16 of the 2023 edition.

The California club features a mix of experienced players and young rising talents, including World Cup-winning goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, young Salvadoran forward Nathan Ordaz, and star forwards Denis Bouanga and Son Heung-Min.

  A Look Back at Their Champions Cup Campaigns

For Real España, this will be the fourth time facing a club from the United States in the competition, holding a record of W-1 D-2 L-2. For Los Angeles FC, this will mark its first match against a Honduran opponent.

Real España’s only victory against a U.S. club came with a 2-1 win over Colorado Rapids on Matchday 7 of Group B in the 2011-12 edition, played on September 21, 2011, at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City (USA). Carlos Pavón scored a brace for the Honduran side, while Andre Akpan found the net for the U.S. team. That match represented the first brace by a Honduran player against a U.S. club since the 2008-09 edition and the third such occurrence in tournament history since 1962.

Los Angeles FC will face a Central American opponent for the second time in the history of the tournament. In its previous appearance, LAFC eliminated LD Alajuelense with a 4-2 aggregate score in the Round of 16. The first leg was played on March 9, 2023, at Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto in Alajuela (CRC), where Los Angeles FC earned a 3-0 victory with a hat trick by Denis Bouanga. The second leg was played on March 15, 2023, at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles (USA), where LD Alajuelense won 2-1 thanks to goals by Giancarlo Rodríguez from the penalty spot and Aarón Suárez, while Carlos Vela scored for Los Angeles FC.