Key Details and Qualified Teams for 2026 Central American Cup

05/01/2026 - 7:46 PM

2026 Central American Cup Qualified Teams

The tournament serves as a qualifier for the Champions Cup; four semifinalist and two play-in winners will automatically qualify for the 2027 edition.

The fourth edition will be played from July to December 2026
Six slots are available to qualify for next year's Concacaf Champions Cup
The official draw on May 26 will determine the groups for the tournament

Miami, FL - The fourth edition of the Concacaf Central American Cup will take place from July through December 2026. The regional men’s club competition will crown the Confederation’s Central American club champion and determine six club representatives that will qualify for the 2027 Concacaf Champions Cup. 

The three confirmed participants for Costa Rica from the 2025–26 season are the reigning Central American Cup champions LD Alajuelense (qualifying as domestic Apertura 2025 champions), as well as Deportivo Saprissa and CS Herediano, who accumulated the most points in their domestic league’s general standings.

Verdes FC from Belize qualified as domestic 2025 Apertura champions with the most points accumulated in the 2025-26 season, while in Nicaragua, Diriangén FC secured a spot after winning its 2025 Apertura title.

Guatemalan teams Antigua GFC and CSD Municipal are qualified as the champion and the runner–up for their 2025 Apertura, respectively.

From Honduras, Club Olimpia, the reigning domestic 2025 Apertura champion, and FC Motagua, the highest-placed club across its 2025 Apertura and 2026 Clausura overall standings, have qualified for the Central American Cup.

Two clubs return to the Central American Cup: LA Firpo, the 2025 Apertura champion, and CD FAS, as the highest-placed club across the 2025 Apertura and 2026 Clausura overall standings in El Salvador’s domestic league.

From Panama, the clubs that have qualified for the Central American Cup are Plaza Amador, the domestic 2025 Apertura champions, and Alianza FC, the highest-placed club in the overall standings for the 2025 Apertura and 2026 Clausura; Alianza FC will be making its Central American Cup debut in 2026.

HISTORY

In September 2021, Concacaf announced that, starting in 2023, three regional cup competitions (Leagues Cup, Central American Cup, and Caribbean Cup) would be played in the fall each year. These competitions determine a number of qualification spots for the Concacaf Champions Cup.

In Central America, the Confederation introduced a 20-club tournament with a group stage, followed by a direct-elimination knockout stage.

LD Alajuelense is the current Concacaf Central American Cup champion. The Costa Rican club claimed the title for the third time by defeating Guatemala's Club Xelajú MC in last year’s final.

FORMAT  

The tournament will begin with a Group Stage comprising four groups of five clubs each. In this first round, clubs will play every club in their group once, for a total of four matches per club (two at home and two away) in the five scheduled weeks.

After the Group Stage, the top two finishers in each group will advance to the Knockout Stage. This stage will feature home-and-away matches, beginning with the Quarterfinals, followed by the Semifinals and Play-In, and concluding with the Final, where Central America’s champion will be crowned.

DATES 

Official Draw: May 26, 2026
Group Stage Week 1: July 28-30, 2026
Group Stage Week 2: August 4-6, 2026
Group Stage Week 3: August 11-13, 2026
Group Stage Week 4: August 18-20, 2026
Group Stage Week 5: August 25-27, 2026
Quarterfinals: September 8-10 and September 15-17, 2026
Semifinals and Play-In: October 20-22 and 27-29, 2026
Finals: December 2 and 6, 2026

PARTICIPATING CLUBS 

**How Clubs Qualify **

Clubs qualify for the Central American Cup based on their performance in their domestic leagues. Details on how each club qualified for the 2026 edition are available here.

Qualifying Competitions and Slots per Country

Belize (1)
- 2025-26 Premier League of Belize Apertura Champions with the most points accumulated in overall standings: Verdes FC
Costa Rica (4)
- 2025 Primera División Apertura Champion: LD Alajuelense
- 2026 Primera División Clausura Champion: TBC
- 2025-26 Primera División best in overall standings: Deportivo Saprissa
- 2025-26 Primera División next best in overall standings: CS Herediano
El Salvador (3)
- 2025 Primera División Apertura Champion: LA Firpo
- 2026 Primera División Clausura Champion: TBC
- 2025-26 Primera División best in overall standings: CD FAS
Guatemala (4)
- 2025 Primera División Apertura Champion: Antigua GFC
- 2025 Primera División Apertura Runner-Up: CSD Municipal
- 2026 Primera División Clausura Champion: TBC
- 2026 Primera División Clausura Runner-Up: TBC
Honduras (3)
- 2025 Primera División Apertura Champion: Club Olimpia
- 2026 Primera División Clausura Champion: TBC
- 2025-26 Primera División best in overall standings: FC Motagua
Nicaragua (2)
- 2025 Liga Primera Apertura Champion: Diriangén FC
- 2026 Liga Primera Clausura Champion: TBC
Panamá (3)
- 2025 Liga Panameña de Fútbol Clausura Champion: Plaza Amador
- 2026 Liga Panameña de Fútbol Clausura Champion: TBC
- 2025-26 Liga Panameña de Fútbol best in overall standings: Alianza FC

QUALIFICATION FOR THE CONCACAF CHAMPIONS CUP

The Central American Cup serves as a qualifier for the 2027 Concacaf Champions Cup; the six slots available are distributed among the four clubs that reach the semifinals, which will automatically qualify for the 2027 edition. The remaining two spots will be contested in the Play-In between the four eliminated teams in the quarterfinals. The Central American Cup Champion will receive a bye to the Round of 16.