MIAMI – The FIFA Derby of the Americas pits the reigning Concacaf Champions Cup winners, CF Pachuca of Mexico, against the CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores champions Botafogo as part of the FIFA Intercontinental Cup on Wednesday at Stadium 974 in Doha, Qatar.
CF Pachuca claimed its sixth Concacaf Champions Cup title last June. The Tuzos won 3-nil in the final over Columbus Crew to advance to the 2024 FIFA Intercontinental Cup and claim a spot in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.
Guillermo Almada will seek his third trophy with Pachuca as he begins his fourth year with the club. The Uruguayan manager led the Tuzos to the Apertura 2022 before guiding the squad to the Concacaf Champions Cup earlier this year. Almada was named the Best Manager in Liga MX for the 2022–23 season.
Salomon Rondon, the winner of the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup Best Player Award, presented by Scotiabank, and Top Scorer Award, presented by Qatar Airways, will lead the Pachuca frontline and seek to take the club as deep into the tournament. The Venezuelan great had nine goals and one assist in the 2024 tournament, including two hat-trick performances and a brace in the final.
Fellow Best XI selections Oussama Idrissi and Nelson Deossa will also be available for Almada. Idrissi provided one goal and six assists in the 2024 CCC, while Deossa delivered two goals and two assists.
Other notable names on Pachuca’s roster include defender Andrés Micolta, Ángel Mena, a 2023 CCC winner with Club León, and Luis Rodríguez, a 2020 CCC winner with Tigres UANL, along with being part of the championship squad earlier this year.
The Pachuca Academy has developed some of Mexico’s top footballers in recent memory, including Héctor Herrera and Hirving Lozano. The current squad features young players on the rise, including 21-year-old Bryan González, another Best XI selection, and 19-year-old Alexéi Domínguez. Goalkeeper Carlos Moreno, 26, is also among the young names on the roster seeking to shine in the upcoming tournament.
Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas will be a challenging foe, arriving with plenty of momentum after winning its first Copa Libertadores title on November 30, and its third league championship, and first since 1995, this past week.
The Brazilian club counts on a few familiar faces to the Concacaf region in former MLS players Jefferson Savarino (Real Salt Lake, 2017-2020 2022–2024), Thiago Almada (Atlanta United, 2022–2024), and Gregore (Inter Miami CF, 2021–2024).
The winner of the FIFA Derby of the Americas will advance to meet Egyptian side Al Ahly, the winner of the FIFA African-Asian-Pacific Cup, for the FIFA Challenger Cup on Saturday at Stadium 974 in Doha, Qatar.
Real Madrid CF, the 2024 UEFA Champions League winners, await in the FIFA Intercontinental Cup 2024 Final for the winner of the FIFA Challenger Cup. The Final will be disputed the following Wednesday at Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar.
