MIAMI, Florida – A new day has dawned in the Concacaf region with the Concacaf Champions Cup, an expanded version of the region’s premier club championship.
The history of Concacaf club championships is a storied one, dating back to the first ever Concacaf Champions Cup in 1962 through 2008, followed by the inception of the Concacaf Champions League era from 2008-09 to 2023, and now with the introduction of the new Concacaf Champions Cup.
No confederation has more champions than Concacaf, which boasts 30 different continental champions, reflecting the competitiveness of the tournament each year and the difficulty of winning it.
The nation that leads this illustrious list is Mexico, who has 14 different Concacaf champions. The most decorated clubs in Concacaf history hail from Mexico, including Club America with seven titles, Cruz Azul with six and Pachuca and Monterrey each with five.
Monterrey achieved all five Concacaf crowns during the Champions League era and are just one of two clubs (Cruz Azul) to have won three consecutive Concacaf club titles.
Not to be outdone are multiple-title winners Pumas (3), Toluca (2), Atlante (2) and Chivas (2), along with past champions Necaxa, Atletico Espanol, Puebla, Leones Negros, Tigres and newly crowned 2023 champions Club Leon.
Mexico are not the only North American nation to have tasted Concacaf club success. Three teams hailing from the United States have lifted the trophy, the first being DC United in 1998, becoming the first team from Major League Soccer to be a Concacaf champion.
Two years later the Los Angeles Galaxy achieved that feat, and then 22 years after that it was the Seattle Sounders who became the first MLS team to win the title in the Champions League era.
Central America enjoys a gilded history as well, with champions from Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.
Costa Rican giants Saprissa (1993, 1995, 2005) are the most decorated Central American club with three Concacaf titles, followed by Alajuelense (1986, 2004) with two titles and Cartagines (1994) with one.
El Salvador is the other country with three different Concacaf champions, with Alianza (1967), Aguila (1976) and FAS (1979) all achieving that feat.
Long-time Guatemalan rivals Comunicaciones and Municipal share in common the fact that they are previous Concacaf champions. Municipal were first to do it in 1974, followed four years later by Comunicaciones in 1978.
Olimpia remain the lone Honduran club to have stood at the Concacaf mountaintop, doing so twice in 1972 and then again in 1988.
The Caribbean is also well represented in the list of Concacaf champions, with clubs from Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname and Haiti all securing titles in years past.
SV Transvaal of Suriname and Defence Force of Trinidad and Tobago are both two-time Concacaf champions. Transvaal lifted the trophy in 1973 and 1981, while Defence Force were champions in 1978 and 1985.
Haiti is the only Caribbean country with two different Concacaf champions. In just the second edition of the tournament in 1963, Racing Haitien emerged as champions, while 21 years later Violette secured their only Concacaf crown.
As Concacaf embarks on a new era with the Concacaf Champions Cup, the competitive level in the region will only increase, making Concacaf’s club title a more prized possession than ever.
