CS Cartaginés and LD Alajuelense Set for 2026 Central American Cup Final Matchup

10/30/2026 - 6:05 PM

Final schedule is set

Three-time defending champion LD Alajuelense will face CS Cartaginés.

CS Cartaginés will compete in its first Central American Cup Final, facing three-time defending champion LD Alajuelense
CS Cartaginés will host the first leg on Dec. 2 at Estadio José Rafael “Fello” Meza, with LD Alajuelense hosting the decisive second leg on Dec. 6 at Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto
The champion will earn a direct berth to the Round of 16 of the 2027 Concacaf Champions Cup

Miami, FL – Concacaf has confirmed the schedule and venues for the 2026 Concacaf Central American Cup Final. Costa Rican clubs CS Cartaginés and LD Alajuelense will face off in the two-legged series, with CS Cartaginés hosting the first leg on Wednesday, Dec. 2 at Estadio José Rafael “Fello” Meza in Cartago, Costa Rica, and LD Alajuelense hosting the decisive return leg on Sunday, Dec. 6 at Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto in Alajuela, Costa Rica.

First-time finalist CS Cartaginés advanced to the 2026 Central American Cup Final with a strong campaign. The Costa Rican side excelled in the Group Stage, topping Group D, before eliminating Deportivo Saprissa (CRC) and Club Olimpia Deportivo (HON) in the Quarterfinals and Semifinals, respectively.

Three-time defending champion LD Alajuelense will once again compete in the Final of the tournament, having reached the stage in every edition of the Central American Cup to date. The side finished atop the Group A standings to advance to the knockout stage, where it defeated a pair of Honduran clubs in CD Marathón (Quarterfinals) and FC Motagua (Semifinals) en route to the Final.

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As per the Competition Regulations, the club ranked highest based on the total points accumulated in the Group Stage, Quarterfinals and Semifinals will host the second leg of the Final. After the Semifinals results, the rankings are as follows (also available here):

Accumulated Standings

LD Alajuelense (17 pts, +7 GD)
CS Cartaginés (16 pts, +8 GD)

The winner of this regional competition will be crowned as Central American Cup champion and earn a direct berth to the 2027 Concacaf Champions Cup Round of 16. The runner-up, two losing semifinalists – Club Olimpia Deportivo and FC Motagua – and two Play-In winners – CD Marathón and Deportivo Saprissa – have also qualified for next year’s Champions Cup, where they will begin play in Round One.

The full list of clubs that have already qualified for the 2027 Concacaf Champions Cup is available here.

Where to Watch

Fans can follow the 2026 Concacaf Central American Cup through the Confederation’s official broadcast partners, including CBS/Paramount+ (United States – English), Fox (Mexico), ESPN and Disney+ (Central America, South America, Brazil, and the Caribbean), and OneSoccer (Canada).